FOCUS Fall 2012

alumni magazine

FOCUS fall 2012

90th

Anniversary Season

T

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.

George Santayana

fall 2012

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departments

2 President’s Message President, Oklahoma City University.....................................Robert Henry

4 Epistles and Ruminations

Vice President of University Advancement......................... Marty O’Gwynn

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Senior Director of University Communications ...................... Sandy Pantlik

12 focus on history

Director of Alumni Relations .........................Cary Pirrong, BS ’87, JD ’90

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Director of Annual Giving.......................................Mandy Heaps, BA ’03 Planned Giving Specialist ........................................................... Dale Ross President, OCU Alumni Board .......................... William M. “Billy” Lewis BSB ’00, JD ’03 Editor....................................................................... Leslie Berger, BA ’02 Art Director.............................................................. Lechelle Calderwood Writers...................................................................................Leslie Berger Marc DiPaolo Rod Jones Cary Pirrong Rich Tortorelli Photographers............................................................ Lechelle Calderwood Rod Jones Kevin Miller

FOCUS Alumni Magazine 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. • Oklahoma City, OK 73106-1493 Focus is produced semiannually by the Communications and Alumni Departments for alumni, parents and friends of Oklahoma City University. Email alumni news to alumni@okcu.edu and any story ideas to focus@okcu.edu.

Check out Oklahoma City University at www.okcu.edu.

Oklahoma City University pledges to recruit, select and promote diversity by providing equality of opportunity in higher education for all persons, including faculty and employees with respect to hiring, continuation, promotion and tenure, applicants for admission, enrolled students, and graduates, without discrimination or segregation on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap or disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

The Vice President for Student Affairs, located in Room 205 of the Clara E. Jones Administration Building, telephone (405) 208-5831, coordinates the university’s compliance with titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

University Update focus e xtra

Focus on Giving

focus on alumni 21 class notes 24 focus on people 30

Catch exciting extras and the latest activities at Oklahoma City University by visiting Focus Extra at www.okcu.edu/focus.

32 Focus on Athletics

35 In Memory

features 10

Aged to Perfection: Theatre Celebrates 90 Years in the Spotlight

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Fabulous Five: Cameron, Gamble, Mason, Mélon, Perry Selected for hall of honor

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‘Big League City’ Author Chronicles OKC’s Thundering Transformation

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The Marx Brothers: 100 Years of Laughs, Anarchy, and Helping Young Couples Get Married

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Civics Lessons Get a Supreme Boost

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memory lane: library

catalogs ocu treasures

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Energy Savings Plan Produces Powerful Results

president’s message

Our fall semester is in full swing at Oklahoma City University, and these pages are filled with many of the wonderful events that have made this semester—and this year— meaningful and memorable.

From celebrations of Shakespeare and a concert by the legendary jazz band Preservation Hall to iCivics, Rosé Soireé, and a spectacular new group of Hall of Honor inductees, there has been hardly a dull moment on campus—and that’s the way we like it!

Now as the holiday season draws nigh, we prepare for what is truly one of the most wonderful times of the year. At Wilson House, we will be decorating our Stars Christmas Tree, our Glass Ornament Tree, and perhaps a cou-

Home for the Holidays 8 p.m. Dec. 6, 7 and 8 2 p.m. Dec. 8 and 9 Recommended for audience members ages 6 and up.

Tickets are $28 and group rates are available.

A Christmas Carol 11 a.m. Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 8 p.m. Dec. 1 and 8 2 p.m. Dec. 2 and 9 Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children, students and senior citizens.

Vespers 8 p.m. Dec. 7 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 8 An instrumental prelude, spotlighting the OCU Symphony Orchestra, organ students, and the Graduate Flute Quartet, begins 30 minutes before each performance. Tickets are $12.

For more information, call (405) 208-5227 or visit www.okcu.edu/ticketoffice.

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ple of others. Soon, the aroma of apple cider will permeate the kitchen as we prepare for holiday receptions.

Jan and I, along with the campus cats, are eager to celebrate the season with our Oklahoma City University family. Perhaps most exciting is what’s about to take the stage at OCU. Nearly 150 of the most talented dancers in the country, who are students at OCU’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management, will spread holiday cheer from the Kirkpatrick Auditorium Dec. 6 to 9 in the annual Home for the Holidays Dance Extravaganza. Directed by the fabulouslytalented Jo Rowan, the show is as lavish and energetic as anything on Broadway.

Next door to Kirkpatrick, TheatreOCU and Oklahoma Children’s Theatre will join together for a stage version of the quintessential Christmas story “A Christmas Carol” from Nov. 29 to Dec. 9 in Burg Theatre. The classic story by Charles Dickens is adapted

by TheatreOCU Artistic Director D. Lance Marsh and is a must see.

Lastly, but certainly not least, more than 250 OCU singers and orchestral musicians will celebrate “Songs of Comfort and Joy” at the 34th annual Christmas Vespers Dec. 7 and 8 in the Bishop W. Angie Smith Cha-

pel. Ask anyone who has been, you have not heard a Christmas concert in all of its glory until you have been to Vespers. OCU Director of Choral Activities Randi Von Ellefson notes the program blends familiar carols with scripture and poetry while presenting some of the most powerful music written for the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Four OCU vocal ensembles will perform including the University Singers, Ad Astra Women’s Chorus, the University Men’s Chorus, and the Chamber Choir. University organist Melissa Plamann will be featured as well as the OCU Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Benjamin Nilles.

For ticket information, see the information box at left.

Jan and I will have to leave the cats at home by the fireplace, but we hope you will come home for the holidays and join us at some of the best performances of the year. From our home to yours, we wish you a wonderful Christmas season and a joyous new year!

Robert and Jan Henry

president’s message

A Christmas Carol

Christmas Vespers

Home for the Holidays

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Epistles and Ruminations

Rewarding Studies Editor’s note: Alumnus and Retired Judge R.D. Lyons recently posted this story on OCU’s Facebook page. Like us at facebook.com/oklahomacityuniversity.

In 1980 I moved to OKC as a pilot instructor for the FAA and I was able to complete my B.S. degree through OCU’s Competency Based Degree Program (now the School of Adult and Continuing Education).

Then in 1981, while continuing to work full time and also flying as a pilot in the reserves I enrolled in the night program of the Oklahoma City University School of Law, graduating in 1984. I don’t know of another university in the country that would have given me that option. After graduation, I worked for a large OKC defense firm before opening my own firm, and in 1996, accepting an appointment as a federal administrative law judge. Without OCU my life would certainly have been less rewarding.

Judge R.D. Lyons (retired)

OCU Proud To the editor: Oklahoma City University was the first college I attended the summer I graduated from high school in 1954. I attended more classes at OCU, until I finished electrical engineering studies at another university.

I was an instructor in the Electronics Engineering School (now gone) at OCU for three semesters before moving to California in 1961 to be an engineer with PG&E. Later, I owned a manufacturer’s rep business, became the national sales manager for a couple of companies, then went back in the independent rep business. I completed seminary, left the rep business, and in March of 2005, joined the staff at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. In 2007, I was ordained and now serve as the hospital visitation pastor. Houston is home to the world’s largest medical complex and the Hospital Ministry is the most enriching ministry.

My experiences at Oklahoma City University have always been an important part of my life and I am delighted to be numbered among the OCU alumni.

Charley Townsend

Professor Care

erything from fire support and how to call for indirect fire and also how to do manual and automated gunnery (basically the old Editor’s note: Oklahoma City University school way of making sure the guns shoot alumnus Charlie Cohlmia sent the following to OCU Alumni Director Cary Pirrong, the correct target and the new fancy techgrandson of retired OCU Professor Clarence nological way of doing the same thing).

Pirrong, after visiting with him recently.

During FABOLC I was competing for a spot to go to Ranger School in Fort BenCary, ning, GA. I earned the spot and was able to I loved Professor Pirrong. He knew my attend the course. Ranger School is a 62father, who was a Methodist minister, and day leadership school. Basically, the school because of that relationship he was very and the instructors put you in a position kind to me. of constant stress and discomfort and you Even though I was a good kid, I was one are evaluated on your leadership abilities. of the all-time bad students. I grew up in The stressors include a combination of exa rigid home that allowed little opportunity cessive weight that you are always carrying for outside fun and experience, so when I in your rucksack (probably between 60 to got to school I went wild. My second se- 100 pounds on your back), sleep deprivamester I took his trig course and sat behind tion (out in the field we would get usually our basketball star Bud Koper’s girlfriend, less than an hour of sleep a night, 3 hours who was very friendly and attractive. on a really good night, and some nights no I didn’t buy a book and didn’t pay at- sleep at all, all of which was dependent tention in class. I paid close attention to on how efficiently we worked), and eating Bud’s girlfriend. Anyway, after all exams about 2 meals a day usually at 2 a.m. and including the final I had a total of 7 points 5 a.m. When we were able to go on a sleep, for everything. When I received my grades we rotated pulling security while our buddy I got a D. Being naive, I went to Profes- slept for about 30 minutes or so, then we sor Pirrong’s office and questioned why he would rotate. On top of that was the physihad given me a D instead of flunking me. cal issue of carrying all of our equipment His response was, “I was afraid you might anywhere from 2km to 10km per day, for 5 come back if I flunked you.” He was always to 10 days per phase. We also had Ranger someone who would counsel with me and Instructors, or RIs, constantly yelling at us, he is the only professor that I remember grading us and throwing twists into our pafrom my college days. I have related this trol and operation. story countless times in my life and he is Time was also a major stressor because always on my mind. He was a good pro- you had time hacks you had to meet in fessor because he cared and he knew that order to accomplish your mission. For exthere was more to the growth of a young ample, if you were setting up an ambush person than a grade. I shall remember him on a road and the enemy was going to be always. moving along that road at a certain time

and you had 30 minutes to get to that amCharlie bush site, you were racing to move however far you had to go so you could emplace the ambush and “kill” the enemy (we shot Bravo! Spanish Grad blanks).

Completes Elite U.S. Ranger school is also broken down into Army Ranger School 3 phases, with a Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP) week before it even really starts. It Editor’s note: Spanish graduate 2 Lt. consists of a ranger physical fitness test, a Jacob S. Mabry sent the following letter to water confidence course, several obstacle OCU Modern Language Professor Donna Hodcourses, a buddy run, a 12-mile timed kinson after completing U.S. Army Ranger ruck march, and a skills test on machine School this summer. Mabry was a member of guns and other equipment. Then, you start ROTC and received his Silver Dollar Salute at OCU’s May 2011 commencement ceremony.

Darby phase, which is all squad size tactics He is now deployed in Afghanistan. at Ft. Benning, GA. Then you move on to Mountain Phase in Dahlonega, GA, which, Donna, in my opinion, was the hardest phase. It After graduating from OCU I attended was 3 weeks in the mountains of northern the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Georgia and we learned rappelling, mounFt. Sill, OK and I was there for 18 weeks tain climbing, etc. and then did 10 days of training, basically learning how to do of platoon size patrols, consisting mostly my job as an artillery officer including ev- of raids and ambushes. After that we went con t i n u e d o n pa g e 2 3

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UNIVERSIT Y UPDATE

Oklahoma City University’s Facilities Department is pictured with the newly-completed Team 1 Pavilion.

Team 1 Pavilion Completed Oklahoma City University’s Facilities Department recently completed the Team 1 Student Pavilion next to the basketball and volleyball courts near campus housing. Many of this semester’s dorm move-in activities were held at the pavilion.

The Facilities Department dedicated the pavilion to Oklahoma City University students in honor of former Chief Financial Officer Brian Holland and his years of service and support.

The Facilities Department developed the idea for the pavilion last year after watching students register for move-in day and orientation in tents set up on the lawn.

The 30-by-60-foot open structure includes a concrete floor, metal roof, electricity, water and ceiling fans.

Assistant Director for Facilities Debra Smith assists students and their families during move-in week this August. Students checked in at the pavilion for their dorm information and received personal assistance throughout the process from registration to moving their belongings into their rooms.

Agee Economic Research Center Releases Study

Oklahoma City University Ranks Among

A recent study by the Steven C. Agee Economic Research & Policy Institute in the Meinders School of Business has been generating interest in media outlets across the country.

The study, which was picked up by Reuters and other wire services and media outlets, showed that the contribution and impact of the Chickasaw Nation on the economy of Oklahoma exceeds $2.4 billion dollars. The report, titled “Estimating the Oklahoma Economic Impact of the Chickasaw Nation,” was funded in part by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and several Native American tribal governments to quantify the impact of tribal activities on the economy of the state of Oklahoma. The study was led by professor Kyle Dean.

Oklahoma City University is one of the best universities to work for in the nation for the fifth consecutive year, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s “2012 Great Colleges to Work For” report.

The report is based on a survey of more than 46,000 employees at 294 colleges and universities. In all, only 103 of the 294 institutions that participated in the program achieved the “Great Colleges to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies.

Oklahoma City University was specifically recognized for its tenure clarity and process for faculty.

“We are honored to again be ranked with an elite group of colleges and universities that are among the very best to work for in the country,” said Oklahoma City University President Robert Henry. “Tenure clarity and process play a role in our efforts to recruit and retain extraordinary faculty. At Oklahoma City University, we have remarkable professors who give students personal attention and make learning fascinating.”

“Great Colleges to Work For” is one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country.

Nation’s Best to Work For

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UNIVERSITY UPDATE

OCU Welcomes New Trustees Oklahoma City University is pleased to announce the appointment of new trustees to its board of directors including Richard H. Parry, Jason Foreman and Robin Ladd.

Parry is president, chief investment officer and owner of the Tom Johnson Investment Management firm, which handles equity and fixed income portfolio construction and active management for institutions and individual clients.

Representatives from two university organizations were also appointed OCU trustees.

Foreman is serving as president of the Oklahoma City University Faculty Senate.

He is the associate professor of scenic design and the head of design and production at Oklahoma City University.

Ladd is the Oklahoma City University Student Government Association president. She is majoring in philosophy and political science.

Nursing Professors Honored Lynn Korvick, Kramer School of Nursing’s chair of graduate education, was appointed to the Oklahoma Board of Nursing by Gov. Mary Fallin. Korvick is one of 11 members of the board, which oversees all nurse practice, RN and LPN licensure, certification of unlicensed nursing personnel, NCLEX, nursing education programs, nurse competency and professionalism, and all other legal matters for the State of Oklahoma related to nursing.

Dr. Lois Salmeron, associate dean of Kramer School of Nursing, has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of Mercy Health Center. Mercy is one of only two Magnet hospitals in the Oklahoma City area, and was the first in the state to receive this distinction.

Its affiliation with the Oklahoma Heart Hospital next door to it on Memorial Road is a further advantage of Salmeron’s board appointment to the nursing school, said Dean Marvel Williamson.

Cataldi Named Associate Arts and Sciences Dean Psychology Department Chairwoman Amy Cataldi has been named associate dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences.

Cataldi has been a faculty member at Oklahoma City University since 1997.

She began serving as the Psychology Department chairwoman in 2011 and was awarded the Oklahoma City University Outstanding Faculty Award in 2008.

focus ex t ra

Catch exciting extras and the latest activities at Oklahoma City University by visiting Focus Extra at www.okcu.edu/focus.

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Preservation Hall jazzes up OCU’s Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center during the season-opening concert for the Distinguished Artists Series.

Preservation Hall Opens Music Series The Preservation Hall Jazz Band opened the Distinguished Artists Series at Oklahoma City University Sept. 16.

The legendary band, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, derives its name from Preservation Hall, the venerable music venue located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. Many of the band's charter members performed with the pioneers who invented jazz in the early 20th century including Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and Bunk Johnson. Band leaders have included brothers Willie and Percy Humphrey, husband and wife Billie and De De Pierce, famed pianist Sweet Emma Barrett, and in the modern day Wendell and John Brunious. These founding artists and dozens of others passed on the lessons of their music to a younger generation who now follow in their footsteps.

Next in the series is John Allen, OCU professor and principal trombonist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, at 3 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Petree Recital Hall.

Admission is $10. For tickets, call (405) 208-5227. For more information on this season visit www.okcu.edu/music.

UNIVERSIT Y UPDATE

Texas students get ‘The Jo Rowan Experience’

OCU Dance Chairwoman Jo Rowan leads a ballet master class in McAllen, Texas.

Oklahoma City University Dance Chairwoman Jo Rowan taught several ballet master classes at Melba’s Dance School in McAllen, Texas, this summer.

Rowan led classes, held mock auditions and visited with students at the school. Several former students of Melba’s Dance School are graduates of Oklahoma City University with Broadway credentials.

Another former student, Julie Doyle, is currently the dance director at Melba’s. In a McAllen article in The Monitor, Doyle said, “Jo Rowan was my favorite ballet teacher as a student at OCU and she greatly influenced my teaching style at Melba’s.

Watching my students learn from one of the greatest ballet professors in America was a tremendous joy.”

Last fall, Melba’s Dance owner Melba Huber led a three-day tap workshop at Oklahoma City University.

OCU’s Public Computer Center

Celebrates Achievements The Intergenerational Computer Center (ICC) at Oklahoma City University has been expanding its partnerships with community organizations and individual users since it opened early this year.

The center was funded through a $1.4 million federal broadband stimulus grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The ICC is free to the public.

The center’s director, Veronica McGowan, said more people are learning the necessity of having computer literacy in modern society, and partnering agencies are emphasizing the importance of training their clients in such skills in order to help them seek and retain employment.

“It’s difficult to be productive in today’s day and age if you don’t have at least some computer skills,” McGowan said. “Even people with decades of work experience are finding that they need to be able to work with computers to keep their jobs or find new work.”

ICC Project Manager Teena Belcik has been signing up groups from around the community to participate in programs offered by the ICC. The center recently celebrated the accomplishments of 31 women who completed a month-long program to improve their computer literacy. Students in Even Start, a free family literacy program offered through Oklahoma City Public School’s Adult Education division, received about 27 hours of instruction. Most of the students had few computer skills before taking the class. The Even Start students took classes that included using e-mail, finding healthy recipes on the Internet, writing a resume, couponing, using Skype and more.

At the end of the program, the students received a certificate for their work and a refurbished computer donated by Oklahoma City University. In addition, the ICC hosted the Even Start school-age children and provided age-appropriate computer education.

Oklahoma City University faculty and students, along with local volunteers, help provide training in computer skills. The ICC’s three computer labs feature more than 110 workstations. The ICC also has a mobile classroom that offers training on-site.

For more information about the center, including a list of available classes, visit www.okcu.edu/icc/ or call (405) 208-6230.

President Robert Henry, Provost Susan Barber and Petree College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Davies are pictured with Even Start students at Oklahoma City University’s Intergenerational Computer Center, which is led by Teena Belcik and Veronica McGowan.

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UNIVERSITY UPDATE

ackerman honored

Oklahoma City University alumnus Jevon Oliver, BS ’12, sings “Old Man River” during a tribute to OCU Trustee Ray Ackerman last spring along the banks of the Oklahoma River.

This statue of OCU Trustee Ray Ackerman, affectionately known as “Old Man River,” was dedicated in April to celebrate Ackerman’s vision for the transformation of the Oklahoma River into a world-class rowing venue. As a trustee, Ackerman encouraged OCU to adopt rowing as a club sport in 2000. It was declared a varsity sport in 2004, the first year OCU hosted the Head of the Oklahoma Regatta.

Alumna Named CFO

Barber Named Provost

CPA Donna Nance assumed the role of chief financial officer at Oklahoma City University on July 9.

Nance spent the last five years at Southern Nazarene University as vice president for financial affairs and chief financial officer. She is a consultant and evaluator for the Accreditation Review Council and Financial Panel of the Higher Learning Commission.

“We are pleased to welcome Donna Nance to Oklahoma City University. She is a very accomplished financial executive whose experience and reputation in higher education finance will serve our university well,” said OCU President Robert Henry. “We know she is trained well. She holds an MBA from OCU’s Meinders Donna Nance School of Business.”

Susan Barber was named provost and vice president for academic affairs in April.

Barber served as the university’s acting provost beginning in 2010 and is a professor of biology. Barber was associate provost of Oklahoma City University from 2006 to 2010 and has held several other academic positions since coming to OCU in 1983.

OCU President Robert Henry said Barber will Susan Barber provide outstanding leadership and stability as the university moves forward.

“I have known Dr. Susan Barber for a number of years and have always appreciated her skills and professionalism in working with faculty, staff and trustees,” Henry said. “Her positive contributions to my cabinet since I have arrived have been significant. As the top academic officer at Oklahoma City University, Dr. Barber will provide outstanding leadership and the stability moving forward that only 29 years of continuous service to this university can offer. I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Barber to elevate OCU’s academic prestige to the next level.”

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UNIVERSIT Y UPDATE

Rescorla Remembered for Heroism ment of Homeland Security’s (DHS) first national reSecretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano silience award for superior leadership and innovation recently announced the creation of the Rick Rescorla by a non-governmental individual or organization who National Award for Resilience, in memory of Richard exemplifies the qualities and achievements of Rick Re“Rick” Rescorla. During the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, scorla, emphasizing leadership in effective preparation, Rescorla, JD ’75 and vice president of security for response, and recovery in the face of disasters.

Morgan Stanley, led the evacuation of the company’s Following the 1993 terrorist attacks on the World 2,700-person workforce in the World Trade Center, savTrade Center, Rescorla drilled his Morgan Stanley eming the lives of his co-workers before he and several ployees in disaster preparedness and response. Remembers of his security team lost their lives.

Rick Rescorla scorla’s actions and his commitment to preparedness “Rick Rescorla’s heroism during the 9/11 attacks and ensured that the 2,700 Morgan Stanley employees who commitment to the preparedness of the thousands of employees under his watch serves as an inspiration and model to worked in the South Tower knew how to evacuate and where to go all of us,” said Napolitano. “The Rick Rescorla National Award on 9/11.

Last year, Secretary Napolitano honored Rescorla posthumously for Resilience recognizes outstanding response to a catastrophic incident and leadership in fostering resilient and prepared com- with the DHS Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Department’s highest honor, and announced the creation munities.”

The Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience is the Depart- of the Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience. focus e xtra

Going Uptown If you’ve spent any time lately at some of OCU’s neighboring businesses on N.W. 23rd Street, you might have heard the buzz about the Uptown 23rd Street District. The district association has been created to beautify N.W. 23rd Street from Broadway to Penn, increase safety in the area, and strengthen the relationships between the shops, restaurants, businesses, and organizations that surround the university.

“I am very excited about this particular neighborhood and merchants association, and what it will mean for our Three Rs (recruitment, retention, and resources) at Oklahoma City University,” said President Robert Henry. “Oklahoma City University will play an active role as this project unfolds.”

The university and the alumni association both have memberships in the group. OCU Alumni Director Cary Pirrong, BS ’87 and JD ’90, and John Riesenberg, BS ’11, serve on the Uptown 23rd District board, and the association is led by President Jennifer Seal, BA and BM ’98.

Star Alumna

Shines on Broadway Kelli O’Hara, BM ’98, is starring on Broadway alongside Matthew Broderick in “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” She recently gave an interview to Broadway.com on “being country when country wasn’t cool.”

O’Hara also visited with Broadway.com about her favorite professor, Oklahoma City University’s Florence Birdwell. “She is my mentor and voice teacher and has had a bigger impact on my life than any other teacher,” O’Hara said.

“Until I met Florence Birdwell, I had never even considered making singing a real career. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Read the full interview at www.broadway.com.

Christmas

Buchanan Selected as Assistant Provost

Read this Quick Response code with your smartphone app for bonus materials.

Biology Department chairman and professor Kent Buchanan was named OCU’s assistant provost July 1.

He joined the OCU faculty in 2006. Prior to that, he was a tenured associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

34th Christmas Vespers

Dec. 7 - 8

Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel

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Call (405) 208-5227 captionor visit www.okcu.edu/ticketoffice.

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Aged to Perfection: Theatre Celebrates 90 Years in the Spotlight

By Rod Jones

They’ve been at it for 90 years, but the way the School of Theatre is acting, it seems as if they’re in the vibrancy of youth.

With 389 Mainstage shows (and many more productions overall) that have been performed since its beginning, the school continues to show its creative side with clever new ways of doing productions.

In light of such an important milestone, this year seems particularly special. According to D. Lance Marsh, associate professor of theatre, the productions this season were carefully chosen to stretch the talents of its students to their limits while appealing to a broad audience.

Meanwhile, the school is making full use of its partnerships with professional theater companies in the city to deliver high-quality entertainment and expand the cultural offerings for a city that is steadily increasing its artistic appreciation.

To understand where the School of Theatre is now, it’s a good idea to see where it came from.

R ai se t h e Curtain The Play Shoppe of Oklahoma City University opened in 1922 as a single room with a modest stage, a curtain and a few lights. The College Players used the space to perform a series of one-act plays, and in their inaugural year they produced “Maker of Dreams,” “The Loving Cup” and “Our Aunt from California.”

It was an exciting time for culture in Oklahoma. Will Rogers, one of the state’s favorite sons, recently started his movie acting career in California; and WKY-AM, the state’s oldest radio station, started broadcasting in Oklahoma City that same year.

The College Players doubled their production in the second season and added some staged readings. They moved The Play Shoppe to another building and produced their first full-length play, “The Charm School.”

In their 10th year, the Famous College Players, as they came to be known, produced Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” as part of a series of three full-length plays.

The department increased its focus on traditional theatrical productions from the 1960s through the ’80s, particularly with its children’s theater program.

The department was relatively small during the 1990s and early 2000s, but entered a new era about seven years ago when it became the fastest growing program of its kind in the country. The department went from approximately 30 students and four faculty members to more than 200 students and 13 faculty members within that time frame, a growth spurt that necessitated a cap on the number of students accepted into the program. Whereas most applicants were accepted into the program in prior years, the school has been turning away about two-thirds of students in the past few years. Only the most promising students make the cut.

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N ext Ac t: A ll the Wo rld ’ s a S ta g e The department became the School of Theatre in 2008 and is still growing in other ways, especially when it comes to the frequency and variety of performances.

The School of Theatre is housed in the historic Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center, featuring the 1,000-seat Kirkpatrick Auditorium, the Petree Recital Hall, Burg Auditorium and Black Box Theatre. The school also has a costume shop and scene workshop.

The school has made interesting use of other locations on campus to share their talent. For instance, last season featured “Wit,” a staged reading about a college professor who is diagnosed with cancer, in the Kramer School of Nursing; and “The Farnsworth Invention,” a story about a legal conflict over a television experiment, was staged in Sarkeys Law Center.

“This is one of the ways we exercise our creativity,” Marsh said. “Our students get the experience of artistic work away from their normal elements, and the host schools get to experience a dramatic story about the topics they’re studying.”

Marsh doesn’t sugar coat it—Oklahoma City is certainly not a theatrical mainstay like New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago. But he says its cultural value is quickly growing.

Even if the Oklahoma City scene never catches up to the status of the bigger cities, it doesn’t mean its hometown school can’t participate with them. One of the unique aspects that sets Oklahoma City University apart from other programs is that students have multiple opportunities to mingle with professionals who are working on the most famous stages in the country.

OCU students participate in showcases every year to help them get their feet in the door. One week after graduation, the recent grads take a trip to New York City, home of OCU’s most active alumni group, to meet agents, producers and sometimes even audition for agencies. The school started bringing talent agents and casting directors to campus from Chicago for showcases each year to teach master classes and host auditions, and every year a select group of students travels to Los Angeles during Spring Break to get behind-the-scenes looks at TV shows and to meet some of the professionals who work in the industry.

“We’re getting our students out into the world before they graduate.

They’re learning the importance of networking the entire time they’re learning here,” Marsh noted.

The School of Theatre has also established ties with some of the city’s most well-known professional theater companies. The school has partnerships with Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park and Oklahoma Children’s Theatre. Many students work for production companies in the surrounding area while learning the ins and outs of theatre work. Lyric Theatre, Carpenter Square Theatre, Ghostlight Theatre Club and more are blocks away from campus.

remaining shows for 2012-13 season

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Adapted by D. Lance Marsh from the novel by Charles Dickens November 29th – December 9th

TREASURE ISLAND

Adapted by James DeVita from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson January 31st – February 3rd

GRAY’S ANATOMY

By Spalding Gray February 28th – March 2nd

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

By Oscar Wilde April 5th – 14th

GROSS INDECENCY: THE 3 TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE

By Moises Kaufman April 25th – 27th

It all adds up to what Marsh calls a “conservatory training atmosphere with the experience of a liberal arts education.”

The school is gaining a reputation nationwide for its approach to training, Marsh added.

“Parents like it because their students are getting a well-rounded education, and students like it because they’re being trained for the career they love,” he said.

This semester’s enrollment includes students from approximately 30 states, including many from California and New York, two states that are considered to have solid reputations for theater training.

The school was featured in the American College Theatre Festival last spring. Its production of “Macbeth” won the Sound Design Award and was one of six productions from the region selected to perform. t he sta r s Senior Anna Troy is preparing for her understudy role in “Another Part of the House.” Troy has been very involved in all aspects of the School of Theatre, including directing “After the Fall” as part of the school’s Stage II season last year.

From DuBuque, Iowa, Troy learned about the program through a friend who was majoring in opera and music theater at OCU. She said she transferred here from a college in Wisconsin because she wanted to be part of the “support, love and trust” of the program. She particularly liked the showcase opportunities OCU offers.

“We have a really good reputation when we go to these showcases.

When people see our students working with professionals, they stand out and shine,” she said.

Another memorable experience was a trip to England this summer, when the students visited Stonehenge, Bath and Oxford, and paid their respects at perhaps the most famous theater town of all—Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon.

Troy spent the rest of her summer researching the School of Theatre’s history in honor of its 90th year. She said its growth and increasing quality have been apparent, and she’s pleased to be part of the resurgence of unique productions like the Out of the Box student-run shows.

Contact Rod Jones at Rod.Jones@okcu.edu.

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focus on HISTORY

A Winning Tradition Former Women’s Basketball Team Captain Remembers the Start of a Winning Legacy in celebration of 25th Anniversary for School’s First NAIA Championship

By Cary Pirrong

On a spring evening nearly 25 years ago, the Lady Chiefs, led by NAIA Coach of the Year Bob Colon, capped an incredible journey.

They finished their season with Oklahoma City University’s first NAIA national championship on March 22, 1988. It was the start of a tradition for this NAIA powerhouse and it was the culmination of a journey that, for several members of the team, was neither glamorous nor easy. The obstacles those Lady Chiefs overcame have led them to help others in similar circumstances, said Patricia Ordonez-Pinto, BS ’90, starting point guard for the 1988 women’s basketball team.

Ordonez-Pinto came to Oklahoma City University not long after leaving her native Colombia. She first met Coach Colon while attending school and playing basketball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College with three other native Colombians. Things were not going well for her or her Colombian teammates in the classroom or on the basketball floor. They were struggling in classes because of language barriers. Meanwhile, on the basketball court, Ordonez-Pinto and her Colombian teammates were used to a much faster-paced game from their days on the Colombian National Team, and found it hard to fit in with other players on the NEO A&M team.

Ordonez-Pinto remembers well a pre-season scrimmage against Colon and his team. During the scrimmage, she realized Colon spoke fluent Spanish. She was so impressed she asked Colon if she and her Colombian teammates could transfer to Oklahoma City University.

Ordonez-Pinto laughed as she recalled also including NEO A&M Assistant Coach Felix Pinto, who she would later marry, in the discussion with Coach Colon. The following year, she and her teammates from Colombia: Elizabeth Hinestroza, Janet Torijano, and Maria de Jesus Arizala were all students at Oklahoma City University. Pinto, BS ’89, also made the move to OCU. Ordonez-Pinto said though she still faced some struggles in the classroom after transferring to OCU, the attitude of her professors was different. She explained Colon and her professors worked with her and her teammates. She said everyone supported them and understood they were trying to learn English at the same time they were going to college. She smiled broadly when recalling that Colon was a very tough no-nonsense coach on the court while he was like a father to her and her teammates.

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Patricia Ordonez-Pinto (front) makes a play for the Lady Chiefs during OCU’s 1988 national championship-winning season.

focus onon history focus staff

The 1988 Lady Chiefs proudly display their NAIA championship banner, the first such banner for Oklahoma City University.

Ordonez-Pinto said she still draws motivation in her career from her struggles and life experience. When she left OCU, she first taught at Villa Teresa in Oklahoma City. Since 2005, she has taught at Edmond Memorial High School where she runs the “Native Speakers” program, a program for students that do not speak English as their native language. She draws heavily on her life experience and the lessons she learned at OCU to motivate her students to stay in the program and not give up. She said when a student comes to her saying, “Mrs. Pinto I just can’t do it,” she explains the struggles she went through. She is very proud that no one has dropped out of the Native Speakers program since she took the helm and about increasing the number of participants who enroll in college or technical school.

Home for the December 6 - 9 Call (405) 208-5227 or visit www.okcu.edu/ticketoffice.

After graduation from OCU, Ordonez-Pinto completed her master’s degree in education from the University of Central Oklahoma.

In 1994, she was inducted into the Oklahoma City University Sports Hall of Fame. She also married Pinto and each became United States citizens, Felix in 1997 and Patricia in 1998. They live in Edmond and have three children. They also own Everlasting Images Photography in Edmond.

Contact Cary Pirrong at CPirrong@okcu.edu.

Holidays

Directed by Jo Rowan

The American Spirit Dance Company’s focus Home for the Holidays show

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Bill Cameron

Jane Jayroe Gamble

G. Stephen Mason

Mary Mélon

Russell Perry

Fabulous Five: hall of honor Cameron, Gamble, Mason, Mélon, Perry Selected for

Oklahoma City University’s Meinders School of Business honored five local business leaders at the annual Oklahoma Commerce & Industry Hall of Honor luncheon Oct. 24.

The 2012 inductees are Bill Cameron, recipient of the Chairman’s Award; Jane Jayroe Gamble, Outstanding Achievement Award; G. Stephen Mason, Entrepreneurial Spirit Award; Mary Mélon, President’s Award; and Russell Perry, Lifetime Achievement Award.

Cameron currently serves as chairman of the board and CEO of American Fidelity Assurance Company (AFA). He is also chairman of the board of First Fidelity Bank, N.A., is a director of Insurica, and has served as an officer of American Fidelity companies since 1986 in a variety of capacities.

A former Miss America, Jayroe Gamble has been a television personality and news anchor in Oklahoma City and the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She enjoyed a 16-year career in television journalism. Most recently, she served as Oklahoma Cabinet secretary for tourism and executive director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.

She is currently pursuing a career as a writer and speaker with two recent books published and an active speaking career. Her books include: “Oklahoma III” with David Fitzgerald (Graphic Arts Publishing); “More Grace than Glamour,” an autobiography with Bob Burke (Oklahoma Heritage Association, in its second printing); and “Devote Forty Days” (Tate Publishing).

Mason has been the president of Cardinal Engineering Inc. since 1989. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. He has worked full-time in the waste management and environmental industry for more than 25 years.

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He currently serves on the board of directors for the City of Oklahoma City Business Improvement District, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, United Way of Central Oklahoma, Automobile Alley, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, First National Bank of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City National Memorial, along with many other civic activities.

Mélon was named publisher of The Journal Record Publishing Co. in September 2001, and president and publisher in 2006. She previously served as associate publisher and advertising director.

She was appointed by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and currently serves as the first woman on the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority and Oklahoma City Urban Redevelopment Authority.

She was appointed by State Health Commissioner Terry Cline to serve on the advisory committee for Healthy Communities and Healthy Schools.

Perry is a businessman, banker, community leader, former state official, publisher and broadcaster. Perry started the Black Chronicle in 1979. Today, it is the largest weekly paid newspaper in Oklahoma.

Perry Publishing & Broadcasting is the largest independently-owned radio group in Oklahoma. Its network of 11 stations reaches 99 percent of the African American community in Oklahoma with urban radio.

He also owns the controlling interest in a small Oklahoma City bank. Gov. Frank Keating appointed Perry his Secretary of Commerce, and he was the first African American to ever serve in that position.

In addition to recognizing members of the business community, the Oklahoma Commerce & Industry Hall of Honor luncheon benefits the Meinders School of Business scholarship program.

‘Big League City’ Author Chronicles OKC’s Thundering Transformation

By Leslie Berger

When Oklahoma City entered the NBA finals last spring, even the Miss America statues at Oklahoma City University proudly sported their Thunderwear. The 2012 finals put a spotlight on Oklahoma City that instilled pride in just about every Oklahoman and improved international perception of this “big league city” like never before.

The story of this unprecedented transformation is chronicled in a new book by Sen. David Holt, JD ’09, an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University. “Big League City: Oklahoma City’s Rise to the NBA” tells the story of the arrival of major league sports in Oklahoma City.

Holt’s position as Mayor Mick Cornett’s chief of staff gave him a unique opportunity to observe how the commitment of his sports-minded boss and the unified effort of a group of perceptive investors, community leaders and city staff brought the dream of NBA basketball to Oklahoma City.

“From about 2006 to 2008, when many of these milestones in our NBA adventure were

Mayor Mick Cornett and Sen. David Holt, JD ’09

unfolding, I would live them by day and then attend the Oklahoma City University School of Law by night,” Sen. Holt said. “I believe the arrival of major league sports in Oklahoma City is the most significant positive event since the Land Run, and it’s been a thrill for me to record this story for our city’s history.”

“Big League City: Oklahoma City’s Rise to the NBA” is available exclusively at Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City, online at www. fullcirclebooks.com or by calling (800) 683-7323.

Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman has said of “Big League City” that “David Holt tells us how we got here.” Kelly Ogle of KWTV says that “Holt’s book is an enjoyable read, and a dandy little primer on the whirlwind ride this dusty old big league city has enjoyed over the last 25 years.”

Holt’s career of public service has included serving President George W. Bush in the White House, U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin and others.

He has served as an Oklahoma senator representing the 30th District since 2010. Holt is an attorney with Williams, Box, Forshee & Bullard.

Contact Leslie Berger at LBerger@okcu.edu.

excerpt From

“Big League City:

Oklahoma City’s Rise to the NBA”

by Oklahoma Senator David Holt Copyright 2012 Full Circle Press. Excerpted with permission.

After the meeting between the NBA staff and the relocation committee, Commissioner David Stern and his staff gathered with Clay Bennett, Bennett’s spokesman Dan Mahoney, Mayor Mick Cornett, and me in the Founders Room of the Skirvin Hilton.

The Founders Room was down the hall from the Venetian Room. Unlike the Venetian Room, whose name was a holdover from the Skirvin’s previous glory, the name of the Founders Room was new, a nod to the people who had made Oklahoma City what it was. Their ghosts were surely pulling up a chair as Stern took a seat across from us and began to speak.

At approximately 4:35 p.m., he said matter-of-factly: “When the Board of Governors meets in April to consider the Sonics’ relocation application, the committee will recommend to the full Board that the team be allowed to move to Oklahoma City.”

Cornett, Bennett, Mahoney and I had just heard perhaps the most historic single sentence in the city’s history. focus FALL 2 0 1 2

Read more on Focus Extra. focus ex t ra

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The Marx

Brothers: 100 Years of Laughs, Anarchy, and Helping Young Couples Get Married

By Marc DiPaolo Assistant Professor of English and Moving Image Arts

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Marx Brothers’ first vaudeville performance in the characters of Groucho, Harpo, and Chico.

Together and separately, they went on to perform their zany, anti-establishment brand of Jewish-American humor on television, stage, radio, and in more than a dozen films. Famous for skewering the upper crust of American society—the robber barons, the cultural elites, and the all-around snobbish—the Brothers were also champions of the downtrodden. In their films, the downtrodden sometimes included other American immigrant families, but more often the hard-luck cases were young lovers too broke to marry. These romantic characters round out the supporting cast of every Marx Brothers film save three—Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup.

Usually, these young lovers want desperately to get married, but their union is threatened by opposition from three formidable sources: a rich mother—usually played by Margaret Dumont—who has cut off their allowance, a criminal who plots to steal the deed to their land and business, and an entrenched establishment that doesn’t grant fame or success to poor newcomers no matter how talented they are in the arts.

In each film, the young lovers can make only so much progress on their own before circumstances are so aligned against them that their romance begins to wither. They often win audience sympathy by taking dramatic stands against Dumont, punching out leering gangsters, and showing off their impressive singing talents, but these efforts alone are not enough to pay overdue bills or win over cold hearts.

However, the Brothers bring an element of the unexpected to the forefront that causes a reversal of fortune for the young lovers. For example, Groucho often seeks to win the heart of Dumont’s disapproving prospective in-law character, softening her up enough to

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get her to restore her child’s allowance. Chico and Harpo are willing to kidnap, coerce, and steal to get society bigwigs to finally grant the young lovers an audience to determine that the kids can indeed sing/paint/landscape.

(That audience invariably ends in the bigwig realizing that he’s been a blind fool and should have offered the young protégé a commission in the first place.) Finally, the thieves, gangsters, and Nazis who seek to ruin the financial security and reputations of the lovers prove no match for the slapstick of the Brothers and are usually left in an unconscious heap for the police to collect in the end.

There has been some debate about the role of the “serious” romantic subplot in the Marx Brothers films, usually seen as a boring intrusion forced upon the Brothers’ fans by misguided studio executives and marketing committees of the time who hoped to broaden the Brothers’ appeal with women. Consequently, viewers of today may justifiably skip scenes involving the young lovers while watching the video. Young lovers may also serve a legitimate artistic purpose in the films, such as providing a necessary “real-world” stability that contrasts nicely with the Marxes’ anarchic spirit. Similarly, the young lovers can serve as an inversion of the “comic relief ” notion in the tragedy genre—a “serious relief ” from the Marxes’ wackiness. I prefer to think of the lovers as offering the Brothers the opportunity to show off their talents as guardian angels.

When one considers the Brothers as guardian angels, it is not important so much that they have halos or work for God or that they appear to be “pro marriage.” What is significant is whom it is they choose to help and whom it is they align themselves against.

When the characters played by Groucho, Harpo, and Chico deign to help young couples in trouble, it is because the funnymen feel a kinship to the lovers. That kinship may be be-

cause the lovers come from a similarly humble urban background like Chico’s character, or because they are iconoclasts or unappreciated artists like Harpo, or because they represent a lost innocence that Groucho’s character wishes he still possessed. Although individual examples may differ, the young lovers matter to the Brothers’ characters because they see themselves in the people they are helping.

To put it another way, the young couples are slightly more respectable doubles of the Brothers themselves, and that is why the couples are interesting even if they are sometimes awkwardly characterized or inelegantly shoehorned into the plot. Like the brothers, these broke lovers are taken for granted by the rich, abused by the neighborhood bullies, and closed out of job opportunities because they lack the “right” pedigree. They’re mutts, no matter how pretty they are. That is why it doesn’t matter how well Ricardo Baroni can sing or how talented an architect Bob Adams is—they are not socially acceptable because they lack the breeding, the money, or the connections, just as, in certain circles, the Brothers themselves would always be in danger of persecution for being Jewish. And the villains and hypocrites whom the Brothers humiliate are the very same entrenched establishment racists and buffoons who are invested in keeping a stuffy and unjust social order intact, and who find themselves threatened by the new blood and the possibility of a better future that the young couples represent. So the Brothers’ characters strive to wrench control of the arts from snobs, put an end to marriages of convenience, and expose hypocrisy and pomposity wherever they find it, both for their own benefit and for the benefit of the young lovers they relate to.

And to these guardian angels I say “Amen.”

Contact Marc DiPaolo at MEDiPaolo@okcu.edu.

focus on giving

Why We Give

Joye McLain, BA ’50

Terry Baransy, BA ’62 with his brother, John Baransy, BA ’62

Donors: Terry Baransy,

BA in journalism ’62

Support:

Member of the Nebula Society Recent gift of note: $1,000 to the Dulaney-Browne Library his story:

Terry Baransy celebrated his 50th reunion this year and he feels just as close to his alma mater as he ever has.

As Baransy approached graduation from Mooreland High School, he applied to Oklahoma City University at the urging of his brother who was already studying here. He was awarded a Banning Scholarship and decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps, both to the university and by joining the OCU chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha.

Baransy said his friendships through Lambda Chi as well as the individualized attention he received from professors, administrators and others made the transition to college an easy one.

“Participating in all of the campus activities—May Sing, Keshena Kapers, campus elections and student publications—made my student experience more interesting and fulfilling.”

“In working with the university now, it reminds me of when I was there,” he commented, noting that the personalized education and experience OCU students receive continues to be a major strength.

Baransy said supporting Oklahoma City University has always been important to him.

“It’s a way to repay OCU for what it has given me and I want others to enjoy the same positive experience I had as a student,” he said.

Baransy is retired from IBM and used the company’s matching contribution program to add to his support for OCU. Baransy also has been active in archiving the materials of a fellow Oklahoma City University alumnus and native of Mooreland, Joyce Eilers Bacak, BM ’63, who became one of the country’s foremost composers of choral music. Baransy and Bacak’s sister are working with the excellent staff at the Dulaney-Browne Library and the Bass School of Music to archive materials and maintain Bacak’s legacy.

“It has given me an even stronger bond to the university and has shown yet again how special and personal my connection to OCU continues to be,” he said.

Donors: Mason and Joye McLain,

BA in music ’50

Support:

Members of the Nebula Society Recent gift of note: $10,000 to the OCU Fund their story:

The McLain’s support of Oklahoma City University dates back more than 50 years to the 1960s. As consistent contributors to the university’s OCU Fund, the McLain’s understand the importance of providing vital unrestricted support to meet unexpected needs.

Joye chose to attend OCU in 1947 after hearing about its music program from her piano teacher in Altus. Her teacher encouraged Joye to learn under Clarence Burg, who taught piano and was the dean of the school.

“I’d heard all about how wonderful the music school was, and how great a teacher Dean Burg was,” Joye said.

After coming to campus, she soon became friends with Florence Birdwell, OCU’s legendary voice professor. A fellow student and friend in the music school, French horn player Melvin Lee, introduced her to the man who would later become her husband, Mason, a trumpet player at the University of Oklahoma. The two were married after Mason graduated.

Joye fondly remembers her college days and was very active in campus life. She was voted the Keshena Queen in 1948 and Football Queen in 1949. She supported herself financially by giving piano lessons to children who were referred to her by Dean Burg.

Joye grew up loving to play the piano and was pleased to help young children discover musical passions of their own.

She has played the piano every day since she graduated.

Joye credits OCU for helping her grow her passion in many forms of art, not just music. She said she had an exceptional dance teacher to go along with her music training.

“I loved playing, I loved practicing, and I loved singing in choir. My education grew my appreciation for music and art, and I really enjoyed my time there,” she said.

Mason is a former trustee of the university. The couple supports OCU as individuals and through their company, Reserve Petroleum.

Joye and Mason attend as many OCU music theater and opera productions as they can, and they closely follow news of the school’s accomplishments. They’re also proud that the choir in their church, Nichols Hills United Methodist Church, has many OCU performers that they can hear every week.

“They sound lovely and we really appreciate getting to hear them,” Joye said.

focus on giving

New Leadership in Advancement Oklahoma City University welcomes a new Vice President and Assistant Vice President for Advancement.

Martin L. O’Gwynn began duties as vice president Sept. 24, and Amanda R. Davis as assistant vice president in October.

O’Gwynn most recently served as assistant to the president and the associate vice president for university advancement at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee and brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education development, strategic planning and marketing communications.

“Marty and Amanda bring a great deal of vision, expertise and energy to their new roles at OCU and our existing, talented

Martin L. O’Gwynn

Rosé Soirée Rosé Soirée

Bill Shdeed, Nancy Anthony, Bob Anthony, Stephanie Shanor, Deborah and Paul Fleming

Amanda R. Davis

advancement team,” said OCU President Robert Henry. “I look forward to deepening our connections with OCU alumni and friends.”

“Oklahoma City University has a strong history of equipping leaders in a wide array of fields,” O’Gwynn said. “I look forward to working with President Henry, the advancement and external relations staff and the greater OCU community. We are building on a tradition of excellence which has been sustained by dedicated faculty, alumni and friends of the university. It is an exciting time to be at OCU.”

Oklahoma City University celebrated the generosity of its Nebula Society with the second annual Rosé Soirée on Sept. 6 at the Myriad Botanical Gardens. Rosé Soireé was sponsored by Trustee Jeanette Sias and her husband, Dick, prominent Methodist donors and owners of Joullian Vineyards. “I can think of no couple that has done more for the arts than Dick and Jeanette Sias,” said OCU President Robert Henry. “We are, shall I say, tickled pink to toast them with this event.”

JR and Patsy Homsey, Hayley Gribble, Jake Roan, OCU Dean of Music Mark Parker

Support the Fund

Support the OCU Fund this Fall!

Oklahoma City University has made a difference in your life. Now you can make a difference by contributing to the OCU Fund today! Gifts to the OCU Fund provide vital unrestricted support to meet the most critical needs of the university and ensure the highest quality educational experience possible.

Make an impact at OCU by contributing to the OCU Fund online. Gifts may be made quickly and safely at www.okcu.edu/onlinegiving.

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Bryan and Andrea Gonterman, Dr. Jan Henry and President Robert Henry focus e xtra

Civics Lessons Get a

Supreme Boost

By Rod Jones

The mere mention of the three branches of government can immediately send elementary school children into the land of daydreams. That’s why a national program recently founded by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor intends to add some fun and entertainment to governmental studies, and the Oklahoma City University Department of Education is helping the program get off to a quick start.

The iCivics program officially launched across the U.S. in 2009 to “reverse Americans’ declining civic knowledge and participation.” Research has shown that U.S. citizens have taken less and less interest in how the government works. About 71 percent of Americans failed a basic civics literacy quiz conducted by the Intercollegiate Studies In-

stitute. Justice O’Connor is hoping to reverse that trend. She came to campus and visited the Oklahoma Bar Association in April to help promote the program.

The main strategy of the free, non-partisan iCivics web-based program is to get children interested in civic matters in hopes that they’ll continue to participate in democracy after they finish school. OCU’s Education Department has been reaching out to those who can make the biggest and most immediate impact—elementary and middle school teachers.

The OCU Education Department hosted an iCivics professional development session in the Intergenerational Computer Center for teachers in the spring with plans to do more sessions next summer. They invited

Area teachers learn how to use iCivics at OCU’s Intergenerational Computer Center.

the iCivics national curriculum coordinator, Carrie Ray-Hill, to campus to lead a daylong workshop.

Judging by the early feedback, the workshop was a hit.

“Especially with younger teachers and their students, they’re finding the iCivics website and games to be extremely engaging and intuitive,” said Liz Willner, one of the organizers of the training session at OCU. The website features games and instructional materials. The activities are designed for elementary, middle and high school age groups.

Sections on the website include Citizenship and Participation, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, Foreign Policy & National Defense and more. Some of Willner’s favor-

Andrea Dillingham, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Kyle Dillingham, BA ’02 in Wilson House

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Bob and Jeaneen Naifeh are shown with Justice O’Connor during O’Connor’s visit to Oklahoma City University to promote iCivics.

ite games are “Immigration Nation,” “Do I Have a Right?” and “Supreme Decision.”

Participants build an avatar and collect points as they play the games. Organizations have even partnered with iCivics to allow students to exchange their points for monetary donations to charitable causes.

The games and lessons are designed to take 50 minutes or less, making it easier to fit into a school day’s lesson schedule. New games and features are continuously added to the site.

The OCU Education Department earned a grant from the Sumners Foundation to host the training session. Two of the Hatton W. Sumners Scholars from the Oklahoma City University School of Law gave presentations, as did two education majors. Katie Alsup presented her research on how iCivics can help teachers with Youth in Government programs, and Melody Metivier demonstrated a non-computerized board game she designed

Area teachers check out iCivics lessons.

that is based on the iCivics lesson plan. Both are OCU students and teacher candidates.

Willner, Education Department Chairwoman Lois Lawler-Brown and professor Lisa Lawter also showed the teachers how they can apply the program to their curriculum and how it can help them meet the latest state requirements called the Common Core State Standards.

The workshop doubled as a chance to show area teachers some of the features of the Intergenerational Computer Center. The professors said the teachers were impressed with the facility and the fact that it’s available to the public for free, especially since some of their students don’t have access to computers outside their schools.

Lawler-Brown said the iCivics program is one of the many ways that the education department has been reaching out to teachers in an effort to improve the process of education, which not only benefits their own teacher

candidates but also helps schools around the community and the state. Her faculty and teacher candidates have been working outside their own classrooms with several organizations including Positive Tomorrows, the Madill Community Childcare Association and Caddo Nation Head Start. They also serve as interpreters for Spanish-speaking students during state tests, on professional education boards, make presentations at education conferences and help represent children with learning disabilities and their families in schools.

Learn more about iCivics and explore the games on their website at www.icivics.org.

Contact Rod Jones at Rod.Jones@okcu.edu.

A Christmas Carol Nov. 29 - Dec. 9

TheatreOCU and Oklahoma Children’s Theatre

Call (405) 208-5227 or visit www.okcu.edu/ticketoffice.

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Adapted by D. Lance Marsh from the novel by Charles Dickens Burg Theatre

focus on alumni

Bright Scholars: Cravens, Reid Continue Their Studies Abroad

By Rod Jones

Two recent alumni have been named to the prestigious 2012-2013 Fulbright Scholarship Program. DeEtta Cravens, BA ’12, an honors student who graduated summa cum laude with a triple major in political science, philosophy and Spanish; and Shamari Reid, BA ’12, who graduated cum laude with a double major in Spanish and education, are now studying abroad through the program.

Both were Clara Luper Scholars while at Oklahoma City University.

Cravens earned a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to teach English in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She also hopes to establish a Girl Scout troop within a secondary school, as well as research the rehabilitation of repatriated Thai human trafficking victims at one of Thailand’s 99 state-sponsored shelters.

Cravens’ interest in foreign travel began when she was 12 and, as a member of the U.S. Youth Soccer team, traveled to Australia and New Zealand to play in an international soccer tournament, the Kanga Cup II. Later, she twice represented her junior high school as an exchange student to its sister school in Costa Rica. Upon graduating high school, she represented the U.S. as a Girl Scout Ambassador to Peru and Bolivia.

Cravens continued to pursue educational opportunities abroad as a student at Oklahoma City University. She studied Spanish and international relations at a university in Chile and received the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship through the National Security Education Program to study Portuguese for eight months in Brazil.

In addition to her travels abroad and her language acquisition, she spent her college summers in Washington, D.C., where she studied at Howard University as a Charles B. Rangel International Affairs scholar and at Johns Hopkins University through the

Washington Center Program, and interned for Black Women United for Action and Unified Industries, Inc. After completing her 13-month grant in Thailand, Cravens plans to complete master’s degrees in international public policy and security studies before joining the foreign services as a public diplomacy officer.

“I feel very privileged to have DeEtta Cravens Shamari Reid had such incredible opportunities to travel the world and gain first-hand knowledge of, and exposure ing abroad until his junior year at Oklahoma to, foreign cultures, languages and people,” City University. He received a Benjamin Cravens said. “Many of my life’s greatest mo- Gilman scholarship from the U.S. State ments have occurred abroad, and I appreci- Department to spend three months during ate how much I have grown intellectually, the summer of 2011 in Argentina studyculturally and spiritually as a result of my ing Spanish at La Universidad del Centro travels.”

Educativo Latinoamericano in Rosario. He Reid earned a Fulbright U.S. Student Pro- also participated in volunteer work at an gram scholarship to teach English in Uru- orphanage in Buenos Aires. guay. He will also enroll in graduate courses “When I chose to become an educator, I at a university in Uruguay and plans to devel- accepted one the most important responsibilop a mentoring program in which local high ities, and that is helping create a bridge to the school and college students mentor younger future I’ll never see,” he said. “With my stustudents. dents I hope to create an environment within Reid, who leaves for Uruguay early next the classroom that encourages acceptance of year, is teaching Spanish at Mount Saint others and a sense of self-worth, while proMary’s High School in Oklahoma City this moting the importance of lifelong learning. semester.

It is because of my experience abroad in Ar“When I go to Uruguay I plan to further gentina that I know what it truly means to enhance my skills in Spanish, but what I’m accept others and be self-aware and can now most excited about is learning other methods share this knowledge with my students. I of teaching and strengthening my pedagogy,” can only imagine what my classroom will be Reid said. “This will make me a more versa- like after I’ve spent another eight months in tile teacher and allow me to offer a style of South America.” teaching not many have seen in the U.S.” Contact Rod Jones at Rod.Jones@okcu.edu.

An Oklahoma native who graduated from Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering, Reid lived in Germany for two years as a preteen but did not consider study-

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focus on alumni

Stars Week

Picnic

Alumni Night

Oklahoma City University’s Alumni Night at the Bricktown Ballpark drew about 50 alumni to cheer on the RedHawks together. Plans are underway for OCU Alumni Night with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Watch your inbox for details. Get added to our email list by sending your address to alumni@okcu.edu.

Goin’ to Kansas City Oklahoma City University alumnus and U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, JD ’81, hosted an alumni reception at the Carriage Club in Kansas City this summer.

About a dozen Oklahoma City University alumni and their spouses from the Kansas City area attended the reception.

Jessi Riesenberg, BS ’11 and OCU Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Coordinator, Starsky, and President Robert Henry enjoy the Stars Week picnic in front of the University Center. The Oklahoma City University Alumni Association participated in the picnic, sponsored

by OCU Student Life during orientation week in August.

Calling All Little Stars Has your family recently grown? Pass on your True Blue school spirit to another generation of Stars! Call the Oklahoma City University alumni office at (405) 208-7000 or email us at alumni@okcu.edu and we’ll send you a complimentary Oklahoma City University onesie for your little Star! President Robert Henry’s grand nephew is shown sporting one of his favorites.

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Distinguished Alumni Honored The Oklahoma City University Alumni Association will honor another stellar group of OCU graduates this year as Distinguished Alumni Award honorees including business alumni Deborah and Paul Fleming, law alumnus Barry Grissom, theater alumnus Donald Jordan, music alumnus Timothy Long, religion alumna Diana Northcutt, nursing alumna Cindy Rauh, arts and sciences alumnus Buzz Williams and dance and arts management alumni Kevin Wilson and Marcel Wilson.

Deborah S. Fleming, ’77, most recently served as vice president and treasurer of SemGroup Corporation and Rose Rock Midstream in Tulsa.

She has served as an adjunct finance professor at the Meinders School of Business.

Paul D. Fleming, ’76, has been the chief internal auditor for BancFirst Corporation for the past seven years. He has served on the Meinders School of Business Executive Advisory Board since 2008.

He retired from the U.S. Navy after 20 years, where he served in the Underwater Demolition / SEAL Teams both on active duty and in the Naval Reserves.

U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, ’81, was a member of the Law Review, the Moot Court Board and the Order of the Barristers while at OCU. He was nominated by President Barack Obama for the position of U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas in April 2010 and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in August 2010.

Donald “Don” Jordan, ’80, is a 35-year veteran of professional theater in North America. Serving as Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre’s (City Rep) founding artistic director, he oversees all aspects of the theater's operations.

Timothy Long, ’90, is a musician who has enjoyed success as a conductor, chamber musician and collaborative pianist across the country.

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Highlights of Long’s pianistic performances include recitals with soprano Jennifer Aylmer and an appearance on NBC’s “Today Show” with tenor Salvatore Licitra. Among his many chamber music partners have been the Pacifica, Chester, Euclid and New Lyric string quartets.

Rev. Diana Northcutt, ’90, was ordained as a deacon with the Oklahoma Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1995 and then as an elder in 1998. Northcutt is currently the director of discipleship ministries for small membership churches in the Oklahoma Annual Conference.

Cindy Rauh, ’04, is vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Duncan Regional Hospital.

Rauh helped the hospital achieve the Thompson Reuter’s Top 100 Hospitals for three out of four years. She is currently in the DNP program at OCU and plans to finish in the spring.

Buzz Williams, ’94, has coached the Marquette Golden Eagles men’s basketball team since 2008. His team has made the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA national tournament for the past two years.

The program's community service efforts have also reached new heights under Williams, highlighted by “Buzz's Bunch.”

Brothers Marcel Wilson, ’98, and Kevin Wilson, ’98, have performed with artists such as Madonna, Beyonce, Whitney Houston and Mary J Blige. They have toured the world with icons such as Janet Jackson and performed on Broadway.

Marcel Wilson has been co-choreographer for the Daytime Emmywinning “Wayne Brady Show.” For the past three seasons, Kevin Wilson has been associate choreographer on the hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” and for Cher at the Colosseum in Las Vegas.

See Focus Extra for additional information about this year’s honorees and photos from the Distinguished Alumni Luncheon focus in November. e xtra

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1. Deborah Fleming 2. Paul Fleming 3. Barry Grissom 4. Donald Jordan 5. Timothy Long 6. Diana Northcutt 7. Cindy Rauh 8. Buzz Williams 9. Kevin Wilson 10. Marcel Wilson

continue d from page 4

to Camp Rudder in Florida where we conducted swamp operations. Once again, we did platoon size patrols for an additional 10 days. We also learned how to conduct boat movements in that phase.

In each phase, you get at least one patrol where you are in a major leadership position such as squad leader, platoon leader, or platoon sergeant, and these are the positions you get evaluated and graded in. If you fail a phase you can get either dropped or recycled and you have to repeat that phase. I recycled in Darby phase and had to redo that one before I could continue on.

In summary, Ranger school basically teaches you and evaluates you on your ability to be tired, wet, hungry, and physically exhausted, and to continue to accomplish a mission and to motivate and lead a platoon of men who are all just as tired, wet, hungry, and physically smoked and get them to follow you and accomplish the same mission.

After Ranger school I took my girlfriend (Alyssa Bennett, who is also an OCU student) with me on a trip across the country from Georgia to California and then up the Pacific Highway to Washington. It was an

amazing trip and I proposed to her in Big Sur Park. We climbed up a cliff about 100 or so feet above the ocean and I asked her on top of the cliff. It was a beautiful sight.

I report in next to Ft. Lewis, Washington and will begin working for 2nd brigade, 2nd infantry division which is a stryker brigade (a newer armored vehicle).

Thanks, Jake 2 Lt. Jacob S. Mabry BA ’11 focus FALL 2 0 1 2

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class notes

Edwin Nall,

Oklahoma City native and Oklahoma City University graduate Mary Anna Goetz, BFA ’68, an artist who now lives in the art colony of Woodstock, NY, recently visited her hometown to put the finishing touches on a mural commissioned by city residents Dennis and Nena Pealor. The 72-inch high canvas depicts the city’s skyline, including the newly-completed Devon Tower.

BS ’52, will receive the Oklahoma of Broadcast’52 ers’ Hall ofAssociation Fame Award and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in April. Nall pioneered the first FM radio station in Oklahoma.

Jeannie Thompson Rogers, BA ’55, inducted into the Women’s ’55 was Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame.

The Cherokee Phoenix did a feature story about Pastor Patrick Freeman’s, ’59 BA ’59, Native American United Methodist Church in Tahlequah.

The Oklahoman did a feature story retiree Cooper Parker, BA ’61, ’61 about working at the age of 74 for Panera Bread.

Jay Graham, BS ’64, told his story about Johnny Ballard, JD ’76, retired and John David Luton, JD ’85, became Wilt Chamberlain at OCU closed his iconic restaurant, Ballard’s ’85 chief of the civil division for the Tulsa ’64 watching ’76 for The Oklahoman sports columnist Drive-In diner, after more than six deCounty District Attorneys office.

Berry Tramel’s blog. cades of business in Pauls Valley.

Robert Brian Mitchell, BSB ’85, was Barbra McAlister, BM ’64, part of a Jacqueline R. Fiegel, BS ’76, was apappointed executive vice president and team that formed the Performing pointed to the board of directors of general counsel of Torchmark CorporaArts Guild of Northeastern Oklahoma, Jack Henry & Associates. tion. put on a free concert in Tahlequah Phyllis Stough, BA ’77, was appointed Caryl Jackson Spradlin, BS ’85, recalled “Musica dell’Anima!” ceived the Award of Nursing Excellence ’77 to the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Enoch Kelly Haney, BA ’65, received Gregory Marino, BS ’78, became medifrom Lee Memorial Health System in the Founders Award from the cal director for Blue Cross and Blue Ft. Myers, Fla. The award is based on ’65 Seminole State College Educational ’78 Shield of Oklahoma. participation in activities that improve Foundation. His exhibit, “Touching Marilyn Olivo Coulson, MBA ’79, was patient care, acting as a role model the Past” opened at the Gaylordthe keynote speaker at the Academic and fostering clinical advancement. ’79 Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum.

Banquet and Awards Ceremony in AlEdgar Cruz, BM ’86, headlined the Pauls Philadelphia businessman Gerald A. len, Okla. ’86 Valley Chamber of Commerce Banquet.

Isom, BSB ’67, was the commenceMarie Price, BA ’79 and JD ’91, and Cindy Wu Williams, MLA ’86, became ’67 ment speaker for Ohio Valley UniverKristin May, BA ’09, are working for an instructor for a new English course sity's spring commencement. the Journal Record Legislative Report. at John Wood Community College in Jane Jayroe Gamble, BM ’69, was a Christopher D. Stone, BA ’79, has Quincy, Ill. recent guest speaker at the Highland joined the staff of Memorial Physician Mary Ann Williams, BSB ’86, joined the ’69 Park United Methodist Church in Clinics in Gulfport, Miss., as a cardioOklahoma City Community Foundation Stillwater. thoracic surgeon. as an accountant.

Meredith Davison, BA ’69, helped deMichelle Lloyd, BM ’80, was named one Brad Chilcote, MBA ’87, was named velop a physician assistant program of El Reno Public Schools’ Teacher of ’87 the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce at the University of Oklahoma College ’80 the Year for 2011-12 Ambassador of the Month in Texas. of Medicine in Tulsa.

Hilarie Blaney, BS ’81 and MBA ’85, Tim Henderson, JD ’87, was appointed Barbara Peterson, BA ’71, retired from joined BancFirst as senior vice presidistrict judge in Oklahoma County.

Irving Elementary School ’81 dent of private banking.

The Oklahoma Gazette ran a tribute to ’71 Washington after 40 years of teaching.

Douglas Gierhart, JD ’81, was voted ’88 Michael Camfield, BA ’88, who was Nathaniel Batchelder, BA ’73, was the Best Attorney in Choctaw. active with the Oklahoma Children’s speaker at the Tyner CornSam Nguyen, MA ’81, retired as admisTheatre and worked to advance civil ’73 featured bread and Beans luncheon. sions and naturalization clerk for the liberties: Keith Nelson, BS ’73, is retiring as the U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City Mary Eichinger, MBA ’88, is the new Deer Park, Texas, finance director. after 32 years. regional director of the Southwestern J. Chris Warrener, BA ’74, became the Ray Belford, MBA ’82, pastor of First Oklahoma State University Small agent in charge Christian Church in Shawnee, was Business Development Center. ’74 special ’82 ordained to Christian ministry. of the FBI’s Minneapolis division.

The Tulsa Daily Commerce & Legal News Among the 2012 Tony nominees for Nancy Parrott, JD ’82 in Law, is serving interviewed Donna Jackson, JD ’88, for performance in a musical, Oklahoma a three-year term as a member-at-large a story about elder law issues. ’75 City University was one of six schools of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s The Grand River Dam Authority that fielded multiple nominees, with Board of Governors. appointed Mike Kiefner, JD ’88, to Ron Raines, BM ’75, for “Follies” and Thomas E. Prince, JD ’82, has been lead the Land and Property ManageKelli O’Hara, BM ’98, for “Nice Work appointed district judge in Oklahoma ment Department.

If You Can Get It.” The other schools County.

Alan Jernigan, MBA ’89, was hired to sharing that honor were Yale, NYU, Bill Riley, JD ’82, retired as Comanche ’89 be CEO of a new subsidiary focused on Juilliard, Syracuse, and UCLA. County Assistant District Attorney. sensor commercialization for Applied T. Douglas Stump, JD ’82, was named Nanotech Holdings, Inc. president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

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class notes

Carla Jo Snipes,

JD ’89, was nominated Heather Fick, MBA ’92, BS ’06, became Deborah Hacker, JD ’93, was honored to the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensa- ’92 a faculty member of the Tahlequah ’93 during a luncheon for the Girl Scouts tion Court.

Ballet Company. of America Southeastern Conference Brooks Douglass, JD ’90, spoke at the Phillip Hixon, MBA ’92, was nominnext month in celebration of the orgaGeneral’s National Prayer ated for the Will Rogers Memorial nization’s 100 years. ’90 Commanding Luncheon.

Commission.

Heather Shanahan, BS ’93, was named Tod S. Mercer, JD ’90, opened his Brandon Hobson, BA ’92, published the new Yukon High School softball Mercer Law Firm in McAlester. a story in Harper Perennial’s new coach.

Kristin Chenoweth, BM ’91, sang a anthology, “Forty Stories.”

David Eversole, MPA ’94, a drama with student Rachel Fritz in Col. Percy G. Hurtado II, MS ’92, at North Intermediate High ’91 duet ’94 teacher Houston. passed his leadership of the OklaSchool, was a candidate for Broken Dawna Hamm, MBA ’91, was named homa Army National Guard’s 45th Arrow Teacher of the Year. chairwoman of the Business and InforFires Brigade to a new commander.

Brad Carter, JD ’95, was the guest mation Systems Division at Seminole Ben Brown, JD ’93, was appointed to ’95 speaker at the Seminole Chamber of State College.

Commerce’s 82nd annual banquet. ’93 the state Board of Juvenile Affairs.

Robert Matson, MPS ‘91, wrote and diRochelle Guinn, JD ’93, was appointed The Tony-nominated “Follies” production rected “Drama Queens” at The Boom. to the Oklahoma Advisory Council on included alumni Kevin L. Cordova, Workers’ Compensation board.

BA ’95, Nathaniel Flatt, BPA ‘04, and Sara Edwards, BPA ’04.

’89

Then and Now

Oklahoma City University’s Tri Beta Chapter is pictured at Arches National Park on May 9, 2001. Like so many OCU alumni, these students have gone on to achieve great success! Congrats to the Tri Beta Chapter of 2001.

Julie Benanzer Redington, PA BS ’02 in biology Physician Associate

Amy Kubier, DVM BS ’04 in biology/chemistry Veterinarian

Ryan Kroutil, PhD BS ’01 biology Marine biologist

Brent Berger, PhD BS ’03 in biology Postdoctoral Research Associate at St. John’s University

Jayson Bell, MD BS ’02 in biology Orthopedic surgeon

Terry Conley, PhD Then: Professor and Tri Beta Co-advisor Now: Dean at Cameron University

Cris Thompson, DO BS ’02 in biology Physician

Susan Barber, PhD Then: Professor and Tri Beta Advisor Now: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Ali Meoli Wilke, RN BSN ‘09 Nurse and OCU Graduate Student

Gerardo Lopez-Mejia, MD BS ’01 in biology Physician

Brooke Lowe BS ’04 in biology

Cara Perkins Engelmann, PA BS ’01 in biology Physician Associate focus FALL 2 0 1 2

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class notes

BM ’02, assistant dean for digital libraries at the University of North Texas Libraries, was named one of the 53 “Movers and Shakers” in the library industry by Library Journal.

Gregory D. Pollard, JD ’02, joined the Stuart, Clover, Duran, Thomas and Vorndran law firm in Shawnee.

Richard Adams, BM ‘03, is completing ’03 his DMA at University of North Texas.

Ultimate Cy-Fair, an affiliate of the Houston Chronicle, did a “Where are they now” piece about Nick Drago, BPA ’03.

Brian Edwards, MBA ’03, joined the Grand River Dam Authority as assistant general manager/chief of law enforcement and homeland security.

Shannon Ferrell, JD ’03, was a guest speaker at the 2012 Blaine County Ag Appreciation Banquet. His speech was about surface and ground water quality.

Levi Williamson’s, JD ’03, law firm was honored for its support of the NJC Foundation in Colorado, which helps rural high school students in the state pay for college.

Katy Folks, BFA ’05 and ME ’07, was ’05 selected as Teacher of the Year for Tulakes Elementary in Putnam City. Folks was nominated for Putnam City District Teacher of the Year.

Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, JD ’05, was the keynote speaker at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Cushing. He was also the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony for Leadership YOUniversity and the feaRon Raines, BM ’75 (second from left), received a 2012 Tony nomination tured speaker at the Hollis High School as Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Benjamin Stone in Commencement ceremony. the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s FOLLIES. The production Joi E. McClendon, JD ’06, joined the played at the Kennedy Center before its Broadway run, and transferred to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles afterward. Working with Raines in ’06 Miller Dollarhide law firm.

Rula Asali, MA ’06, became a U.S. L.A. were fellow OCU alumni Nathanial Flatt, ensemble; Kevin Cordova, assistant company manager; Sara Edwards, swing/dance captain; and citizen May 25 and was selected to Clifton Samuels, who attended OCU as Sam Fogle, ensemble. be the speaker during the swearing-in ceremony.

Trae Gray, MBA/JD ’06, was certified as a life member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million guest of honor for the Fine Art Market Attorneys Associates Day Celebration Dollar Advocates Forum. at the second annual American Indian in California.

Justin Meek, JD ’06, joined the Bass Law Festival in Wichita, Kan. Tanya S. Bryant, BS ’00 and JD ’04, firm as director of the Litigation Group.

Ben Sherrer, JD ’97, was reappointed ’00 was elected director of the Crowe & Jennifer Fletcher, BME ’07, was named to the Oklahoma Developmental Dunlevy law firm.

Disabilities Planning Council.

Paul Foster, MBA ’00, joined ’07 the Purcell Junior High Teacher of the Year and the Purcell Public Schools The Montgomery Advertiser ran a CHRISTUS Health ShreveportDistrict Teacher of the Year for the feature story about Jason South, Bossier as vice president of finance.

2011-12 school year. Fletcher is the MPA ’97, and his efforts to adopt Casey Ross-Petherick, BS ’00, joined junior high band director and assists children. He and his wife were guest Hall Estill’s Indian law practice. with the high school band, teaches speakers at the Agape of Central Rodney Caffey, JD ’02, started a law fifth grade music, works with the PurAlabama Foster Care Dinner. ’02 firm in Alton, Ill. cell Middle School Gifted & Talented The documentary “Beauty is EmbarKyle Dillingham, BA ’02, joined the students, puts together the Purcell rassing” by Neil Berkeley, BA ’98, Amici New York Orchestra to play a ’98 made its hometown premiere at the Middle School yearbook and serves on Father’s Day concert downtown, during the Purcell District Technology ComdeadCenter Film Festival in June after which they premiered “Life Symphony” mittee. She also serves as presidentwinning awards at festivals all across composed by Callen Clarke. elect for the Southwestern Oklahoma the country.

Band Directors Association.

Edward Glinski,

MBA ’96, was an ASC Danny Kennedy, MBA ’98, was named Industry Leader to Know. executive vice president of preconSora Golf Kaitkanarat, MLA ’96, was struction for the southwest division of hired as managing director of strategy Nabholz Construction Services. and innovation for IPG Mediabrands, Kelli O’Hara, BM ’98, was one of the the media innovation unit of Interpubheadliners for this year’s July Fourth lic Group that controls a $34 billion celebration on the National Mall. global media buying portfolio.

Idit Shner, BM ’98, is playing in a jazz The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associaquartet in Eugene, Ore. tion did a story about Bryan DahlTechColumbus hired Tom Walker, MBA ’97 vang’s, BFA ’97, design of the FAA ’98, to be its CEO. pilot certificate.

Ashley Berridge, BS ’99, was named Brent Greenwood, BFA ’97, was a fea- ’99 board president of WAM Theatre in tured artist in the Oklahoma Painters Massachusetts. exhibit at the Grand Palais in Paris for Travis Siegel, BS ’99, was honored durthe Art en Capital event. He was the ing the Bisnar | Chase Personal Injury

’96

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focus FALL 2012

Mark Phillips,

class notes

First Lieutenant Clifford J. Holman,

First Century, will begin studies this BS ’07, was awarded the Bronze Star fall in the doctoral composition proin February. Holman returned to the gram at The Peabody Institute of The U.S. after serving in Afghanistan with Johns Hopkins University. the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Rayshon Payton, BA ’10, worked as a Team.

White House intern.

Erin McCracken, BM ’07, starred as E-Ling Chia, BM (double major) ’11, has Tracy Turnblad in the New York-based ’11 been selected for the piano perforWestchester Broadway Theatre’s promance graduate programs by the Royal duction of “Hairspray.”

Welsh College of Music & Drama and Eun-Hee Park, MM ’07, performed at Birmingham City University's BirmingTrinity Episcopal Church in Hattiesham Conservatoire. Chia has chosen burg, Miss., in the final performance of Birmingham. this year's Tuesdays at Trinity Series.

Composer Mina Fan, MM ’11, has been Dustina Reasons, MA ’07 in theater, was accepted into the MM in music therapy featured in a video about Theater-Inprograms at Arizona State University, Our-Schools Month.

Montclair State University, and at IlRandy C. Smith, BA ’04 and JD ’07, linois State University. This fall, she joined the Andrews Davis law firm in will attend Illinois State with an assisOklahoma City as an oil and gas attantship to begin work on her second torney. master’s degree.

Jennifer Tippin, BS ’07, was selected Kim Faure, BA ’11, is dancing in the to attend Artists, Models and Talent Broadway production of “Nice Work if for Christ’s SHINE talent showcase in You Can Get It.” Florida.

James Gilmartin, JD ’11, was named an Stephen Eck, JD ’08, was appointed vice assistant district attorney for District and general counsel of Okla20. ’08 president homa Christian University.

The Oklahoman ran a story about Deer Zac Reynolds, MBA ’08, was hired as Creek girls soccer coach Stuart Hilvice president in the investment diviton, BS ’11, and his pursuit of the sion of Trust Company of Oklahoma. state title.

Katelyn Turnbull, BS ’08, was added to Ashley Hudson, BSB ’11, won a chamthe account service team at Third Depionship in the Women’s Wrestling gree Advertising and Communications.

University Nationals.

Nick Barnaby, BM and BME ’09, will The Macon Telegraph ran a feature story begin MM studies in double bass perabout Sasha Hutchings, BPA ’11, sing’09 formance in the fall at Texas Christian ing and dancing on Broadway.

University, where he has been awarded Kate Jewett-Williams, BM ’11, was a full scholarship and assistantship. accepted into the MM in musicology Dustin L. Compton, JD/MBA ’09, joined and ethnomusicology programs at the the Bass Law firm El Reno office.

University of Miami and University of Rachel Williams Durham, BA ’09, joined North Texas and has been offered asPositive Tomorrows as volunteer coorsistantships at both. She has chosen to dinator. attend UNT. BroadwayWorld.com did an interview with Eide Bailly hired Beth Reed, MS ’11, as Ian Patrick Gibb, BM ’09, about his a tax associate. new CD “Fill in the Words.”

Lyonel Reneau, BFA ’11, was a cast Rev. Tyler Kirk, BA ’09, is the new asmember in the Broadway in Detroit sociate minister of First United Church production of “Shrek, The Musical.” of Checotah.

Allison Stearns, BPA ’11, danced in Richard T. Lewis, JD ’09, is a partner in Arkansas Festival Ballet's production of one of the oldest family law firms in “Aladdin.”

Illinois.

Lori Sublett, MA ’11, had three of her Lisa Peterchuck, JD ’09, and Lisa Sharp, short stories published in the spring JD ’09, opened a law firm in Dallas. issue of The Oklahoma Review.

Rachel Rhodes-Devey, BM ’09, played Samar Warsi, JD ’11, wrote a guest cola lead role in Rochester, N.Y.’s Audiumn about Muslim surveillance for the torium Theatre production of “South journal Jurist.

Pacific.”

Jared Wynn, BS ’11, was named wresJohn Corn, BA ’10, was named Yukon tling coach for Blackwell High School. ’10 police chief.

Sonya Barrett, BA ’12, joined the staff Kari Hoffhines, JD ’10, joined the of Trifecta Communications as a news Crowe & Dunlevy firm as an associate ’12 reporter for Moore Monthly and Moorein the banking and financial instituMonthly.com. Barrett joins two other tions practice group.

OCU alumni—Aleta Wheelbarger, BS Tim Holt, BM ’10 and MM ’12, president ’96, and Armand McCoy, BA in Broadof Project 21: Music for the Twenty casting ’10—on the Trifecta staff.

’07

Bráulio Bosi,

MM ’12, won admission to the doctoral guitar performance program at University of Southern California, and has accepted a full scholarship to University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music.

Brittany Davis, BM ’12, released a new single titled “Analogy,” which she wrote and performed. Davis, who is in Los Angeles pursuing a music career, is preparing to return to the studio to record her second release, and eventually an EP. Blackwelder Brass trumpeter Patrick Doyle, MM ’12, won the top graduate assistantship at University of MissouriKansas City's Conservatory of Music and Dance.

Bonnie Frauenthal, BM ’12, recently starring as Susan B. Anthony in “The Mother of Us All” and winner of the 2012 Trudy Oliphant Sundgren Young Singer Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions in the Tulsa District, has been accepted to the MM in opera performance program at Northwestern University.

Liz Lang, BM ’12, a double major who won the 2012 Young Singer Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions in the Kansas City District, was accepted into the MM vocal program at Eastman School of Music and awarded a department assistantship.

Jaclyn Paul, MM ’12, was accepted into the Fine Arts and Music Education Ph.D. program at Texas Tech.

Angelica Pereira, BM ’12, a member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic who toured China and Mexico as a member of the 2011-12 Youth Orchestra of the Americas, has been accepted by the master's violin programs of Southern Methodist University and New York University.

Jonathan Richey, BM ’12, who recently starred as Hoffmann in “The Tales of Hoffmann,” will be entering the MM program at Florida State University, which has awarded him an assistantship and stipend.

Stephen Variames, MM ’12, has been selected for the Artist Diploma program in Collaborative Piano at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

The Oklahoman did a story about Aubrey Wellfare’s, BM ’12, interest in working for a professional orchestra.

Drew Wutke, MM ’12, worked on the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre production of “Little Shop of Horrors” in Iowa.

focus FALL 2 0 1 1

27

memory lane: library catalogs ocu treasures

By Rod Jones

It’s fun to reflect on the good ol’ days, whether that means remembering personal experiences or satisfying curiosities on the origins of objects and traditions. Sometimes memories get a little fuzzy, so it’s nice to have a place to go where memories are stored for safekeeping and cataloged for easy retrieval.

The Oklahoma City University archives contain a vast collection of the school’s memories, and it was recently renovated to enhance its historical preservation abilities.

Along with most of the Dulaney-Browne Library, the fifth-floor archives were recently renovated with modern amenities.

The archives themselves earned a grant from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, in partnership with the Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board, to purchase housing for oversized materials and other upgrades. The Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church contributed funds specifically for the storage areas, upgrading the environmental controls to maximize preservation of the materials.

Christina Wolf, OCU archivist, said the renovations have improved the shelf life of precious documents while giving more room to store the constantly incoming flow of materials.

“These changes have done wonders for our ability to protect and catalog materials. It has also helped our workflow operations, making it easier to keep the entire process organized,” Wolf noted.

A rush of cold air greets her as she opens the door to the new storage room, which is kept at a cool 65 degrees with low humidity thanks to a new HVAC system. The yellowed lighting is due to special fluorescent lights that are shielded with a UV ray-blocking film. The floors are painted with an anti-dust finish, and the storage shelves are coated in a special paint that won’t release chemicals. The windows are blacked out to keep out the sunlight, an enemy of historical documents.

Another enemy is thievery—the storage room entry is protected by an electronic keypad locking mechanism, and only staff members are allowed beyond the doors.

The Oklahoma City University archives are open to the public. It sees a regular flow of people who come to discover their genealogy roots and

Adjoining the storage room is a processing office, where workers catalog materials before they are organized into the storage room shelves.

The reading room, however, is open to the public. It sits near the fifth-floor entryway and has tables and chairs for visitors to spread out their chosen research materials. It also contains a few museum-like exhibits—old trophies from bygone athletic days, the Jack Conn Hamilton Watch Collection, and items collected by E.L. Pierce during his missionary work in Africa, just to name a few.

The archives hold two major collections—historical materials from Oklahoma City University, and the Oklahoma Area United Methodist Church. The church offers substantial funding to keep archival operations running.

Some of the most interesting artifacts are from the United Methodist Church. The archives are home to the handwritten record book of the first session of the Indian Mission conference in what would become Oklahoma, held back in 1844.

Some of the university’s original documents from the 1890s, when plans for the school started coming together, are in the collections.

There are also many special collections, some of which were donated by individuals including the Shirk Oklahoma History Collection, Jack Conn Hamilton Watch Collection, Oklahoma Music Teachers Association, Oklahoma City Pianist Club, the Oklahoma City Professional Chapter of Zeta Phi Eta, and the Oklahoma City Bombing Printed Material.

Shirk, a former mayor of Oklahoma City who helped organize the state’s historical society, was an avid collector of maps, rare books and early history. Wolf said the Shirk collection is the largest personal library collection in the archives at approximately 1,600 volumes.

The fifth floor also contains the library’s children’s literature collection, curriculum collection, oversized volumes, group study rooms, the N. Scott Momaday Reading Room (which includes books and works by the famous Native American author and artist, donated by OCU

Another reason to visit the Dulaney-Browne Library’s fifth floor is the Native American portrait exhibit from McKenney & Hall, “History of the

to delve into church history. Students from

Indian Tribes of North America.” The exhibit

OCU and other schools in the region come

is on loan from OCU President Robert Henry

to do research for their dissertations. The

and is made up of 37 hand-colored lithographs

reading room hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

of some of the most famous Native American

Monday through Friday. For more information contact Christina Wolf at cwolf@okcu.edu or (405) focus 208-5919; or visit the 28 FALL 2012

page on the Dulaney-

Browne Library website at www.okcu.edu/library.

leaders in history including Sequoyah, Pocahontas and Pushmataha.

President Robert Henry), and the Honors seminar room that doubles as a workshop room for Wolf ’s presentations.

Wolf has other duties outside of the archive chambers. She runs workshops for churches in both the United Methodist Oklahoma Conference and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, showing their clergy and laity the best practices in preserving historical collections.

As a faculty member, she works with OCU classes on special projects. For instance, an English class was assigned a research project for Civil War-era letters last year, and Wolf helped the students with the process. She is also a liaison to the School of Visual Arts and gives bibliographic instruction and contributes to collection development for the Fine Arts, Moving Images and Mass Communications majors. She plans to concentrate more research into historical memorabilia around campus in upcoming semesters.

The archiving duties are never really finished. Wolf and her student workers are continuously collecting, cataloging, digitizing and sorting materials as they arrive, and they have enough things in the collection already to keep them busy for years to come.

“Our main focus now is to get the entire collection into a database,” she said. “It’s a steady stream of work, but it’s rewarding to know that we’re organizing and preserving our wonderful history.”

A few items that can be found in the archives.

Contact Rod Jones at Rod.Jones@okcu.edu. focus e xtra

we need your help

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Here are a few photos from the Oklahoma City University archives. Recognize anyone or know where it came from? If so, let us know at: dblarchives@okcu.edu focus FALL 2 0 1 2

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focus on people

Admissions Director

Gathers New Stars

By Rod Jones

It’s challenging work being on the front lines recruiting new students. As director of undergraduate admissions at Oklahoma City University, Michelle Cook’s team finds prospective students and then gets them to agree to spend at least the next four years of their lives as members of the OCU community.

Meanwhile, every other college in America is going after the same students. In a state like Oklahoma, which has a large number of competing colleges—more than 25 public institutions, in fact—the competition is fierce.

However, the family-like atmosphere and other qualities that are readily apparent certainly helps her cause.

“We have a great team. I really enjoy working with this talented staff,” Cook said.

“There’s a lot of energy here, and we’re all working toward the same goal. And we just gained a great leader in Kevin Windholz, our vice president for enrollment management, who started in the spring.”

Some things are an easy sell—quality educational programs, campus amenities and testimonials from alumni, for instance. Other attributes simply must be experienced firsthand, so it’s important to deliver effective descriptions while on the recruitment trail in order to convince prospective students to visit. Once they set foot on campus, chances are they’ll want to stay.

Cook supervises the Undergraduate Admissions Office, Visitor Services, and Enrollment Operations staffs, which consists of a

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Michelle Cook

combined 15 workers. There are also regional recruitment representatives in California and Texas. Cook manages the admission counselor trips to recruitment fairs and high schools where counselors give presentations highlighting the benefits of the university.

“We take the OCU show on the road, getting them excited to come and take a tour,” she said.

Her area is also responsible for a wide variety of special recruitment events. One of the newer programs is the 30-Plus Club, an event held for high school students who score at

least a 30 on the ACT test. It is held on the day of the university’s Distinguished Speakers Series, and the students get a chance to meet the speaker.

Preview Days and personalized visits are held in the fall for high school seniors, which allows students to visit campus and learn about the various majors that are offered.

Cook was born and raised in south-central Kansas in a small town near Wichita.

She earned a business administration degree and a master’s degree in management from Friends University.

After graduating, she worked at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan., as an admissions representative. That job sent her travelling around Oklahoma and introduced her to contacts with Oklahoma City University.

Cook came to OCU in 2000 as an admissions counselor, and later moved up the turnpike to work at the University of Tulsa.

She returned to OCU in 2008. She married OCU alumnus Drew Cook in July 2011.

“I’ve always liked Oklahoma. Everyone is really friendly here,” she said. “And being in an emerging city with cultural riches and the Oklahoma City Thunder not only makes it a great place to live, it’s also a great tool for recruiting new students.”

Contact Rod Jones at Rod.Jones@okcu.edu.

Energy Savings Plan

Produces Powerful Results

By Leslie Berger

Oklahoma City University has implemented an energy savings plan that well exceeds Gov. Mary Fallin’s newly-signed energy efficiency law and accounted for substantial savings since bringing its physical plant operations back in house five years ago.

Senate Bill 1096 calls for higher education institutions and state agencies to improve their energy efficiency and energy conservaLarry Eck, Jeff Castleberry and Mark Clouse

tion measures 20 percent by 2020. Oklahoma City University has cut average monthly energy use by 8 percent since 2010 and expects to improve efficiency another 20 percent by 2017, said Jeff Castleberry, director of facilities.

The university’s energy saving measures, which have included installing high efficiency lighting and photosensors to keep lights

off when spaces are not in use, have netted $40,000 in rebates from OGE. Mark Clouse, associate director of facilities at Oklahoma City University, said efforts to bring the university’s heating and cooling system to peak efficiency have resulted in significant energy improvements. During four months of the year, the air system runs off of free cooling, an efficient method of using low external air temperatures for cooling.

OCU currently is partnering with Tim Wilcox, an energy expert and leading authority on ice storage, to upgrade the university’s ice storage equipment with a system that will nearly eliminate the use of electricity for cooling during peak hours through the entire summer. Castleberry said this will increase energy efficiency for cooling by 50 percent.

“We will be using all new technology,” Castleberry said. “There is not anything else in the world like it.”

Castleberry said OCU’s partnerships with Wilcox, THG Energy, OGE, Eaton, and others have put the university on the leading edge of energy savings initiatives.

Contact Leslie Berger at LBerger@okcu.edu.

Fast Facts The OCU Facilities Department employs 17 licensed craftsmen.

The department recycled 25,000 pounds of paper during the last three months.

The university’s current thermal storage system has cut energy use for cooling by 20 percent. Future improvements to the system will increase efficiency another 50 percent.

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focus on athletics

We’re number one Stars Capture Five National Championships OCU successfully defended its large coed cheer NAIA championship in all-girl cheer on April 19 in the NCA/NDA NAIA College Nationals at Daytona Beach, Fla. OCU turned in seven top-10 finishes including championships in all-girl and large coed cheer as well a third-place finish in large dance. The Stars won championships in large coed cheer and large dance a year ago.

Also finishing on top, the OCU Men’s Golf Team shot 297-298286-295-1,176 to win its eighth NAIA men’s golf title May 25 in Salem, Ore. At the Blue Out Blow Out Pep Rally, legendary Coach Denny Crabaugh got downright evangelical.

“I want you to remember 3 numbers: 5 (championships last year) 19 (straight years we’ve won a championship) 46 (total national championships) We don’t hang conference championship banners. We hang national championship banners.”

President Henry was so inspired, he dropped down and did pushups.

Earlier in the year, the Oklahoma City University’s Women’s Basketball Team earned its No. 1 ranking this year by triumphing 69-48 over Union (Tenn.) on March 20 in the NAIA Division I women’s basketball tournament championship in Frankfort, Ky.

The Stars collected their fourth consecutive Women’s College Wresting Association championship in January. The top-ranked Stars established program highs in the SCWA Championships with 141 points and six individual national championships. Fifteen OCU wrestlers took all-American honors.

OCU’s single-season school-record five national championships boosted the Stars to a 13th-place finish in the 2011-12 NAIA National Association of College Directors of Athletics Director’s Cup standings.

The Stars increased their total to 46 national championships.

Five championships in one year broke the previous school record of four set in 2001-02 and repeated in 2006-07.

The Stars also won the NWCA National Duals women’s crown while finishing as NAIA softball runner-up, fifth in the NAIA World Series, fifth in the NAIA men’s wrestling championships, eighth in the NAIA women’s golf championships and advancing to the NAIA women’s soccer championships this season. OCU improved on its 32nd-place standing after the winter season.

OCU has captured a national championship each year the past 19 years. Since 1996-97, OCU has had 11 top-10 finishes in the NAIA Director’s Cup standings and has finished in the top 13 nationally for 15 consecutive years.

Academically, OCU’s athletic department registered its 20th consecutive semester with a cumulative 3.0 grade-point average.

Oklahoma City University cheerleaders celebrate their national championship in large coed cheer.

OCU also won an NAIA national championship in the all-girl cheer competition.

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focus on athletics

2011-12 athletic achievements • Athletes made NAIA national-tournament appearances in baseball, softball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer and men’s wrestling.

• OCU won its sixth NAIA Division I women’s basketball championship to tie for the most in the NAIA. • OCU captured its eighth NAIA men’s golf championship, the most in the NAIA. • The Stars took NAIA cheerleading titles in large coed and all-girl categories.

• The Women’s Wrestling Team won their fourth consecutive Women’s College Wrestling Association national championship and their fifth National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals title in a row.

• The softball team reached the NAIA championship game for the NAIA-high 13th time, finishing as runnerup after a 1-0 loss to Shorter (Ga.).

Miguel Beltran

Now Starring: NAIA Baseball Player

of the Year, Four MLB Draftees

The Men’s Golf Team celebrates its eighth NAIA title.

• OCU made the NAIA World Series for the 14th time overall and fifth consecutive year.

• The Stars reached No. 1 in the NAIA rankings in baseball, women’s basketball, men’s golf and women’s golf, finishing as No. 1 in the women’s basketball and men’s golf ratings.

• The women’s soccer team won an NAIA Championship Opening-Round match for the second consecutive year.

• The Stars won Sooner Athletic Conference regularseason championships in baseball and women’s soccer as well as the co-championship in women’s basketball.

• In addition to their national title, the golf team captured its 15th SAC men’s golf title in 16 years and 18th SAC men’s golf crown overall.

• SAC Tournament championships in women’s basketball and softball.

• OCU produced 59 all-Americans, including 15 each in cheerleading and women’s wrestling.

• WCWA champions Emily Webster (101 pounds), Joey Miller (116), Michaela Hutchison (123), Jennifer Page (143), Kristie Davis (155) and Brittany Delgado (191).

Delgado and Hutchison each became three-time champions and four-time all-Americans.

• OCU’s first NAIA men’s wrestling champion, Kevin Hardy, captured the 165-pound crown. Nik Turner was NAIA runner-up at 157.

• In the Dad Vail Regatta, Edgars Boitmanis won the men’s single sculling event. Jane Imfeld finished third.

• OCU’s Cedric Bond and Kaitlyn McElroy won the male and female USA Canoe/Kayak Collegiate Sprint National Championships.

• NAIA, SAC softball pitcher of the year Lily LaVelle set NAIA strikeout records for a season (540) and a career (1,411).

OCU’s Miguel Beltran has been named the 2012 NAIA Baseball Player of the Year.

Beltran, who led college baseball in home runs with 27 in 2012, headlined a group of four Stars named all-Americans.

Carman and Dane Phillips joined Beltran as first-team allAmericans, while Rich Hawkins took honorable mention.

Beltran became the seventh player from OCU to receive the honor, joining past honorees Allen Thompson in 1994, Mario Delgado in 2001, Ted Ledbetter in 2004, Nick Klusaw in 2005, Brent Weaver in 2009 and Kirk Walker in 2011.

Phillips became the highest drafted baseball player from OCU during the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on June 5 and 6.

The San Diego Padres chose Phillips with the 70th overall pick in the second round. Grant Hansen had been OCU’s previous high draft choice with the 89th pick in the third round by the Chicago White Sox in 2004.

• Four Stars are NAIA Central Qualifying Group wrestling champions—Kidd Gomez at 125, Nik Turner at 157, Derek Peperas at 174 and Mitchell Eichenauer at 197.

• Dietra Caldwell was named SAC women’s basketball player of the year.

• SAC men’s golf individual champion Clark Collier, became OCU’s third four-time all-American in men’s golf.

• Brenna Skillern was named SAC women’s soccer defender of the year for the second year in a row.

• Raechel Brown became OCU’s first all-SAC cross country runner.

• OCU’s softball coaching staff led by Phil McSpadden was named NFCA NAIA coaching staff of the year as well as NAIA Southwest Region coaching staff of the year. McSpadden was SAC coach of the year.

• OCU men’s golf coach Kyle Blaser took NAIA coach of the year for the seventh time, the most of any coach.

Blaser was also selected for induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame.

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Stars Welcome Trammell

as women’s basketball coach

Latricia Trammell

Latricia Trammell has been chosen to lead OCU’s women’s basketball program as head coach.

Trammell returned to the Stars after serving as Western State (Colo.) head coach the past five seasons. Trammell was assistant coach at OCU from 2005-07.

Trammell became the third winningest head coach in program history at Western State. She led Western State to five consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Shootout appearances, including the championship game this past season. Trammell revived Western State, directing the Mountaineers to their first home playoff game since 1987, the first postseason victory since 1988 and the longest streak of postseason appearances since the mid-1980s.

OCU had gone 212-31 with five Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season championships and five SAC Tournament titles the past seven years under Rob Edmisson. Edmisson left to take over the Missouri Western State program.

2011-12 Academic Athletic

Achievements • Ten Stars squads earned recognition as scholar teams from the NAIA—including the women’s track team, which produced the highest grade-point average of any NAIA team with a 4.07. Fifteen OCU teams achieved a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA. • Academic all-American baseball player Chad Carman brought OCU’s two-time academic all-Americans to seven.

• CoSIDA academic all-Americans this season include Lauren Haymans and Brenna Skillern in women’s soccer; Michael Palmer in men’s golf; Andrew Pontikes in wrestling; Shantel Wagner in women’s rowing and A.J. Woodward in softball.

OCU has the most CoSIDA academic all-Americans of all time among NAIA institutions. Fifteen Stars were selected CoSIDA academic all-district.

• Nineteen NAIA scholar-athlete award winners achieved 3.50 or better cumulative grade-point averages.

• Andrew Pontikes became a four-time NWCA all-academic choice. Pontikes’ teammates Michael Brown and Gage Harrison joined him as NWCA all-academic selections. OCU won an NWCA all-academic team award.

• OCU’s Beatrize Martinez and Tessa Plana earned Women’s College Wrestling Association scholar-athlete awards by achieving a 3.5 or better overall GPA. OCU also won a WCWA all-academic team award.

The Women’s Basketball team captured one of five national championships for Oklahoma City University in 2012.

Chad Carman (left) and Emily Davis (right) received the 2011-2012 Jim Wade Award for male and female student-athletes of the year.

They are pictured with Gen. Jim Wade.

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focus spring 2011

in memory

James Mack Burk James Mack Burk of Columbia, Mo., died on June 4, 2012. James was born on July 1, 1931 in Muskogee, Okla., to John Dee Burk and Marie Kyle Burk.

He attended public school in Muskogee, graduating from Central High School in the Class of 1949.

He was a graduate of Oklahoma City University. He earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. He also did graduate studies at Indiana University.

He served in U.S. Army bands at Fort Chaffee, Ark., and Fort Sill, Okla., before going overseas to be in the 60th Army Band in the (Panama) Canal Zone.

He married Bobbie Jean McBride on June 12, 1954. They were married for 52 years. She preceded him in death. Their son, James Jeffery, was born in 1956 at the Coco Solo Hospital in Cristóbal, Canal Zone.

James was band director at Classen Junior-Senior High School in Oklahoma City for six years and conducted several musicals.

He taught at Oklahoma College for Women, Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts, and Oklahoma City University. He joined the faculty at the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1967 and taught music

theory (harmony, counterpoint, acoustics, orchestration) and other undergraduate and graduate courses. He retired in 1996 after 30 years at UMC. He was the president of the UMC chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda (music honor society) for 24 years and initiated the honors convocation for the Department of Music that has become a special annual event. He was a Friend of the Arts, an honorary membership, of Sigma Alpha Iota (International Music Fraternity).

James attended and presented papers at regional and national meetings of professional organizations. He was a contributor to many professional publications. He compiled and edited “A Charles Ives Omnibus” (Pendragon Press, 2008), a large listing of research and reference materials regarding the great American composer.

James was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Fulton, Mo., where was also an elder. His wife, Bobbie, was the choir director from 1976 to 2004. James performed many flute accompaniments to the choir as well as solos.

He is survived by his son, James Jeffery Burk of Aurora, Ill., and his sister, Barbara Burk Ferguson of Owasso, Okla.

Memorials may be sent to the Dulaney-Browne Library at Oklahoma City University, 73106; Attention: the James Mack Burk Collection.

Donald Lee Penwell

Class of 1939 Duane Manning

Donald Lee Penwell died March 7, 2012, at Scottsdale Hospital after a short illness that culminated in pneumonia. Donald was born in El Reno, Okla., on August 13, 1930.

He was an accomplished athlete having gained honors playing basketball, starting at Oklahoma City University where his team won the All College tournament while being named Most Valuable Player.

Although he was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets of the NBA, he elected to join Caterpillar Tractor of the National Industrial Basketball League where the competition was better and post-playing career opportunities were greater. His basketball career culminated in winning the World Amateur Championship in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

His business career was centered in the electronic bookkeeping industry, where he was co-founder and president of EBS, Inc., and later vice president of sales for ADS, Inc. While he was proud of his athletic and business careers, his enduring legacy is the relationships he fostered with family and friends. He treasured those above all else.

Donald was predeceased by his parents, Cleva and Clifford Penwell of Oklahoma City. He is survived by his wife Brenda; his brother Bill and sister-in-law Mary Jane Penwell of Greenwich, Conn.; his children Sharon Penwell of Litchfield Park, Ariz., Debora Wilson of Parker, Colo., and Stanley Penwell of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and five grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Arizona Humane Society.

Class of 1940 Gwendolyn Wolf Class of 1943 John M. Perry Class of 1948 Philip M. Dorsey Class of 1950 Dwight D. Darrah Donald L. Kuhn Class of 1952 Robert L. Majors Don L. Penwell Class of 1953 James M. Burk Class of 1957 Leslie Benton Albert L. Sinclair Class of 1958 Richard T. Neyer

letha weeks Letha Jo Weeks, 83, passed away Aug. 23, 2012. She was born June 1, 1929, in Nowata, Okla., to Oscar and Gertrude Deen.

After graduation from high school in Delaware, Okla., Letha enrolled in Oklahoma A&M College and studied business. She was a member of Chi Omega Sorority. She also met her husband, Wayne, at A&M, and they were married on Dec. 23, 1948.

After raising four children, Letha was employed by Oklahoma City University, retiring as assistant to the president in 1994.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Wayne. She is survived by her brother, John Deen of Nowata and wife, Della Ann; son, Michael of San Luis Obispo, Calif., and wife, Jean; son, Jeffrey of Dallas and wife, Louanne; daughter, Barbara Cassidy of Waco, Texas, and husband, Dan; and son, Paul of Tampa, Florida, and wife, Amy; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Nichols Hills United Methodist Church, 1212 Bedford, Oklahoma City, OK 73116.

Class of 1964 Paul R. Boren Louis L. McClure Class of 1967 William J. Manger John A. Williams Class of 1968 Ruth M. Brennan Class of 1970 Donna K. Daniels Class of 1971 Tessie D. McFadden Class of 1980 Dana M. Lukken Carl A. Trehus Class of 1982 David Moore Class of 1988 Karin Kriz Class of 1989 Floyd K. Propps

Class of 1961 Class of 1995 Elton M. Henderson Alan Cantrell Joe L. Hock Class of 2009 Class of 1962 Ann Michele King Jonathan L. Dunn Class of 1963 Kenneth L. Patchin

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in memory

Kenneth Rose Kenneth Rose died May 30, 2012. Kenneth was born in Wilson, Okla., on April 7, 1930. He graduated from New Lima High School near Seminole, Okla. He played on the 1949 High School Allstate Basketball Team. After graduating from high school he played basketball for the Oklahoma City University Chiefs under Coach Doyle Parrack.

Kenneth helped OCU to the NCAA Tournament for the 1951-52 and 1952-53 seasons. He graduated in 1953 and began his 33-year career in education. He was a basketball coach at Bethel and McLoud schools, coach and junior/senior high school principal at Washington, Okla., and junior/senior high school principal at Cyril and Healdton. He was school superintendent at Gracemont, Hinton, and Deer Creek-Lamont schools.

He owned Rose’s Town & Country in Crescent, Okla. Kenneth was a civic leader in each town where he lived. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club of Hinton, and Lions Club of Crescent. While at Crescent he was a member of the committee who raised funds to build a community building.

His Christian life was the most important to him. He became a Christian soon after he married his bride Eva Hocutt. They established a Christian home and were active members of the Baptist church in each community where they lived. In his church, Kenneth served as deacon, Sunday school teacher, and on many committees including nominating and building committees, where pastors and music directors were called and buildings were constructed. He and Eva are members at Southern Hills Baptist Church.

Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents, Annie and Jones R. Rose; five brothers: Harding, Otis, J.R., Ivan and Guy. He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Eva Rose; 2 daughters: Lea Ann Conaway and husband John, Mary Jane Heid and husband Kevin; grandchildren: Reed, Erin, Tony, Bethany, Victor, Patrick (wife Angela) and Chris; great grandchildren: Ethan, Ericka, Levi and Zachary; and numerous nieces, nephews and a host of family and friends.

Memorials may be made to: The Baptist Children’s Home, 16301 S. Western Ave., OKC, OK 73170.

Tessie Dow McFadden Tessie Dow McFadden, 91, of Oklahoma City, passed away on March 7, 2012. She was born on Dec. 27,1920, in Talihina to her parents, Babe and May (Foster) Himes.

Tessie attended Oklahoma City University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in mathematics and a master of arts degree in teaching.

She married J. B. Sharp on Jan. 2, 1941, in Rockwell, Texas. J. B. Sharp was killed in France on July 12, 1944, during World War II. She later married Ernest B. McFadden on June 4, 1950.

She loved spending time at Lake Tenkiller with Millard Hibbert and traveling with her cousin Dixie Berglund.

She was preceded in death by her parents; first husband; and brothers: Billy Vernon Himes and Lafayette Himes. She is survived by her devoted and dearly loved life partner, Millard A. Hibbert and his children, Billy, Bobby and Peggy; sons: Kenneth and Susie Sharp of Stillwater, Okla., and Steve and Kathy McFadden of Oklahoma City; grandchildren: Christopher and Nancy Sharp, Tracy Sharp, Natalie Cook and Mark Goodwin, Shane and Jenna McFadden; great grandchildren: Allyson and Trent McFadden, Bethany Sackett, Seth and Ian Sharp, Holly, Ivy and William Hibbert; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Donna Daniels Donna Daniels died May 11, 2012. Donna was born May 17, 1947. She was a church music and religion studies major at Oklahoma City University, graduating in 1970.

Donna was an outstanding musician and teacher.

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Thundered Up! Hear that rumbling on the horizon? The Oklahoma City Thunder has come a long way since the team arrived in 2008—from an opening-season record of 23-59 to becoming the NBA’s Western Conference champions in just three seasons. As the Finals began, Oklahoma City University was ready to show the rest of the world that Oklahoma City is the place to be, on and off the court!

Students, staff and faculty donned Thunder gear on game days and had a little fun with the

campus décor. For instance, the Bass School of Music added fake beards to portraits in the Hall of Queens, ala Thunder player James “Fear the Beard” Harden, and the Miss America statues in Centennial Plaza were adorned in team T-shirts.

Oklahoma City University’s connections to the Thunder are beyond just sharing a great home city (our basketball arenas are a mere 3.5 miles apart, to be exact). Superstar

player Kevin Durant used our gym floor to stay in top form during the league’s lockout; students are given game tickets during the regular season, compliments of the university’s Intramural & Recreational Sports Department; three of our students have been on the Thunder Girls squad; and at least six alumni worked for the Thunder organization last season. Oh, and both teams use dark blue as their primary team color!

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

2501 N. Blackwelder Ave.

PAID

Oklahoma City, OK 73106-1493

Permit #2384 Oklahoma City, OK

YOU CAN CHANGE A LIFE

Through a Charitable Gift Annuity Receive Secure Lifetime Income From An OCU Charitable Gift Annuity A charitable gift annuity pays you lifetime income you can count on at an attractive rate based on your age: REPRESENTATIVE RATES (ONE LIFE)* Age Rate 70 5.1% 75 5.8% 80 6.8% 85 7.8% *Different rates apply to two-life annuities

Other advantages you will enjoy: • Charitable income tax deduction • Potential for tax-free income • Gift annuities can be established for as little as $5,000

A gift annuity is a great way to help OCU. When the income interest terminates, the university will use the remaining funds in your name.

You may direct the funds to a scholarship, a program or project of your choice, or to the OCU Fund to be used where needed most.

For additional information and a personalized rate quote, call or email: Marty O’Gwynn Vice President of Advancement & External Relations (405) 208-7000 mlogwynn@okcu.edu

www.okcu.edu/plannedgiving

Dale Ross Planned Giving Specialist (405) 208-5925 dross@okcu.edu