Oklahoma City University Focus Alumni Magazine—Spring 2020

SPRING 2020

Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

Passage

Two students make their way to OCU through extraordinary dedication to their education.

to

Oklahoma

CONTENTS

Focus Alumni Magazine 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73106 405-208-7000 • okcu.edu/focus STORY IDEAS: focus@okcu.edu ALU M NI NEWS: alumni@okcu.edu Focus is produced semiannually by the Communications and Alumni departments for alumni and friends of Oklahoma City University. OCU is an equal-opportunity institution.

University Administration Martha Burger, President George Sims, Interim Provost Jim Abbott, Assistant Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics Amy Ayres, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Leslie Berger, BA ’02, Senior Director of University Communications Amy Cataldi, Interim Assistant Provost Joey Croslin, Vice President for Human Resources and Chief HR Officer Gerry Hunt, Chief Information Officer David McConnell, Interim Chief Financial Officer Casey Ross, BSB ’00, JD and MBA ’03, General Counsel Lynann Sterk-Brooks, Vice President of University Advancement Kevin Windholz, Vice President for Enrollment Management and University Communications

Alumni Relations Megan Hornbeek Allen, BA ’03, Director of Alumni Engagement John Riesenberg, BBA ’11, MS ’14, President, Alumni Advisory Board

Editorial Staff Leslie Berger, BA ’02, Senior Director of University Communications Rod Jones, MBA ’12, Editor of Focus and Associate Director of Public Relations Kim Mizar, Communications Coordinator April Marciszewski, Art Director of Focus and Senior Graphic Designer

Writers

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Composer Collective If you’re a film buff or TV connoisseur, you have probably heard alumnus Jay Wadley’s music. He founded the composer collective, Found Objects, pictured above, and makes his name through film and TV scores.

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National Champs The men’s cross country brings home its fifth national championship, and senior Mark Shaw wins his second individual title.

Terry Phelps, Professor of English Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications

Photographers Josh Robinson, Photographer/Videographer Ethan Cooper, Photographer/Videographer Assistant

ON THE C OVE R

Sophomores Luisa Torres and Emiliano Tarin photographed by Josh Robinson STORY PAGE 8

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OCU offers new degree in booming esports industry Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth will teach on campus Longtime theology professor John Starkey passes away

F ROM T HE PR E S I DE N T

Going the Distance OCU took to the Internet in late March for classes and daily work. Clockwise spiral from above: Beth Adele teaches Principles of Advertising, Student Government Association meets, student Victoria Wilson convenes with a musical theater class, student Caroline Purdy uses a Christmas tree platform as a tap board at home, student Zane Berglan borrows an OCU marimba to continue music lessons, and Loren Matrone and fellow chemistry students work on a student-centered group learning activity.

Greetings Alumni & Friends, As we publish this issue of Focus, we are navigating our way through unprecedented times. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to make drastic changes in our work, study, and life routines.

At OCU, we moved all in-person classes fully online immediately following spring break. Our devoted faculty and staff have transitioned to remote work except for essential personnel who are maintaining campus operations. Residence halls have been closed except for a few instances where we have made accommodations for emergency housing.

What I have been fortunate to see through all of this are the many heroes who have made our transitions successful throughout this process. Administrators, faculty, and staff have continued to thoughtfully and proactively address the health, safety, and educational needs of our OCU community.

And while we are social distancing, we are not isolated. We are staying connected with our OCU family through Zoom, Skype, Google Hangout, and other technology. We may be online instead of on campus, but our commitment to our students, alumni, and the broader community is stronger than ever.

I would like to extend a special thank you to our alumni who are on the frontlines of COVID-19, helping the sick, protecting the vulnerable, and serving others.

OCU has proven our resiliency in the face of challenges time and time again. We will navigate these uncertain times with decisive confidence and unwavering commitment to our mission, and we will emerge from this crisis as the strong, vibrant university we have always been.

Photos provided by OCU students and employees Spring 2020  1

THE BIG PICTURE

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photo by ______

“My goal is to tour with major Broadway productions across the country as an assistant stage manager,” said Caroline Mueller, stage and production management junior. “One of my professors (Courtney DiBello) is the resident stage manager with the OKC Ballet, so she takes students with her to be her assistants on each production.

This opportunity is giving us a chance to work with union workers in a larger venue. It also allows us to apply what we are learning in class to real life.”

Photo by Josh Robinson

Photo by _______ Spring 2020 3

U N I V E R S I T Y U P DAT E LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

OCU Launches eSports Team, Degree Program

BY R O D JONES

O

klahoma City University will add a degree program in esports management this fall. The bachelor’s degree program will incorporate exercise sports science, broadcasting, advertising, event management, budgeting, and content development to prepare students for careers in esports management and promotions.

“This is a cutting-edge program that will give students a competitive edge as they seek careers in the dynamic field of esports,” said Amy Cataldi, dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences.

Courses will include health club president for a short period of behavior, theory of coaching, time before helping start the varsity TV studio and field production, League of Legends team, then later advertising, esports team the Boise State varsity Overwatch management, and others. team. As part of the Boise State Esports Beth Adele, mass communications team, he competed nationally against program director, said OCU will schools like Utah, UC Irvine, Arizona equip students with the skills State, Miami and others including and understanding to tell stories, current and past collegiate League manage teams, and communicate of Legends national champions globally in the multifaceted esports Maryville University and Robert industry. The Exercise and Sport Morris University.

Science Department will contribute Private donations have been course work in sports and team collected for a new OCU eSports management.

Club facility, and the university has Career possibilities for graduates developed plans for a dedicated include coaching, marketing, esports arena. The club facility will producing, commentating, editing, house more than 20 gaming systems, streaming, and more. state-of-the-art web streaming and OCU introduced the degree audio-visual production equipment, program just a few months after and retro gaming systems. launching its first esports club team, Jeff Price, eSports director, said which has partnered with many students and the business world regional university programs and share a symbiotic relationship by local high school programs. participating in esports activities.

OCU eSports was admitted into the “Businesses that connect with these National Association of Collegiate demographics position themselves Esports last summer. The esports as forward thinking, progressive, and team has also partnered with many dynamic. Simultaneous industries are regional university programs and stimulated with esports publishers high school programs in Oklahoma. and content producers, players and The team will be offering scholarships team training, esports management, JEFF PRICE for recruited esports athletes. tournament and league organizers, Paul Vaughan was hired in brand developers, social media January to become the new head managers, and advertisers. We coordinator of the esports team. are looking at the next revolution Vaughan is helping to develop team of digital entertainment for this and leadership skills for the players, generation.” manage and cast live streams of the For more information about games, and will help analyze game esports at OCU, visit okcu.edu/esports. footage for team improvement.

Esports Management applications are Vaughan came from one of the top currently being accepted for fall 2020. collegiate esports programs in the To find out more, contact Adele at country, Boise State Esports. He was badele@okcu.edu.

“ We are looking at the

next revolution of digital entertainment.”

4 Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photo of Paul Vaughan courtesy of Boise State University

ACHIEVEMENTS

Online MBA Ranking Climbs The Meinders School of Business was ranked sixth highest in the country in the College Consensus’ Best Online MBA Programs for Non-Business Majors. OCU’s ranking was one place higher than last year.

College Consensus combines ratings from publishers and students to come up with an average score. Publisher ratings come from annual national ranking outlets including U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings. The student reviews come from reputable college search services like Cappex and MyPlan.

College Consensus researched nearly 580 online MBA programs around the country. Schools were ranked based on affordability, reputation, and convenience.

Energy Programs Gain Momentum U.S. News & World Report ranked OCU 41st in the country for Best Online Business Programs (non-MBA), specifically recognizing the online master’s programs in Energy Management and Energy Legal Studies. The Meinders School of Business has been on the list for six consecutive years. U.S. News ranked the schools on five general categories: student engagement, a measure of how well students can interact with their instructors and fellow classmates; student excellence; expert opinion, a survey of high-ranking academic officials in business; faculty credentials and training; and student services technology.

Branching Out OCU earned recognition as a 2019 Tree Campus USA, an Arbor Day Foundation, for its commitment to effective urban forest management. The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. OCU achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and student service-learning projects.

“We are honored to receive this distinction again from the Arbor Day Foundation,” said OCU President Martha Burger. “The recognition holds extra special meaning for our students, faculty and staff this year after the loss of one of our beloved professors, Dr. John Starkey, who taught us to appreciate the grace and grandeur of all trees.”

OCU Selects Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Oklahoma City University named Talia Carroll, Ph.D., as vice president for diversity and inclusion in March. Carroll will begin her work at OCU on June 1.

With over a decade of experience across numerous functional areas, Carroll has dedicated much of her career to improving the academic and social support offered to historically marginalized and underserved populations, with special attention devoted to enhancing campus climates and experiences for all students, faculty, and staff.

At OCU, Carroll will guide, develop, enhance, and implement diversity and inclusion programming, training, and other initiatives. She will also identify and

build new community engagement opportunities.

“I look forward to Dr. Carroll’s work with our students, faculty, staff, and community as we actively expand our diversity and inclusion initiatives,” said OCU President Martha Burger. “Her extensive experience and example of servant-leadership will add to OCU’s strengths.”

Carroll comes to OCU after serving as the director of the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Northern Colorado.

Campus photo by Josh Robinson • Business class photo by Shane Bevel Spring 2020 5

U N I V E R S I T Y U P DAT E

Star Professor Tony

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” Nominations: “Wicked” “On the Twentieth Century”

Emmy

“Pushing Daisies” Nomination: “Glee”

Star

On the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Billboard “For the Girls” debuted at No. 3 among Current Pop Albums and No. 11 among Top Albums

Kristin Chenoweth has accepted an appointment as Artist in Residence at her alma mater, Oklahoma City University, beginning in April 2020.

The Tony and Emmy Award-winning performer will be in residence at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at least once a semester, said Mark Parker, dean of the Bass School of Music.

“This is a continuing appointment and will be in place for the foreseeable future. Should her schedule permit, she may be on campus more than twice a year. We are thrilled she will be working with students in masterclasses, lessons, and workshops and leading ongoing conversations on the business of Broadway and Hollywood. Formalizing our long-standing relationship with Kristin is a major step for the music school and for all of the performing arts at Oklahoma City University.”

The school was named to Playbill’s 2018–19 and 2019–20 “Big Ten” lists of Top 10 collegiate training grounds for Broadway performers.

Chenoweth’s career spans three decades as a Broadway headliner, actress, author, recording artist, and concert soloist from Royal Albert Hall to the Metropolitan Opera.

She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in vocal performance at OCU and made her Broadway debut in 1997. In 2013, OCU awarded her an honorary doctorate in humane letters.

In 2016, she invited 16 music theater students from the Bass School to perform with her in “My Love Letter to Broadway” at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. She is a longtime champion of arts education and founder of the annual Kristin Chenoweth Broadway Bootcamp. At OCU, she has been a member of the Bass School of Music’s Executive Advisory Board since 2000.

“The transition from school to professional career is made smoother when you know what to expect, what’s needed, and what

is current in the business of arts and entertainment,” Parker said. “Kristin, like many of our successful alumni, has been so generous in returning to campus to share knowledge and insights. What makes this formal arrangement as artist in residence so exciting is her commitment to the school and our students in a regular, recurring teaching role. Her effect on our next generation of performers will resonate for years to come.”

H E A LT H Y D E V E L O P M E N T S

Clinic Opens to Public Oklahoma City University has partnered with Family HealthCare and Minor Emergency Clinic to operate its campus health clinic, which celebrated a grand opening in October.

Antonia Pratt-Reid, APRN, CNP, owns and operates the local clinic, which provides expanded services and improved access, including same-day appointments.

In addition to employees and students on a university health plan, the clinic accepts

patients from the broader community with most major insurance carriers and provides special pricing for the uninsured.

“One of the missions for our clinic has always been to serve all patients,” Reid said.

Family care extends from newborns to geriatric patients and includes minor emergency care as well as occupational health, she said. Reid has worked to expand the ability of advanced practice registered nurses to serve patients in Oklahoma.

6 Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Chenoweth photo courtesy of Chenoweth • Clinic photo by Josh Robinson

OCU First in U.S. to Join Theatre Education Alliance The Oklahoma City University School of Theatre is the first and only American school to become a member of the World Theatre Education Alliance based in Beijing, China.

Dean Mark Parker, acting professor Lance Marsh and eight OCU theatre students attended the alliance’s International Theatre Festival in October at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. In keeping with the theme of “Shakespeare’s Comedies,” OCU students performed a review of some of the funniest scenes and monologues from numerous Shakespeare plays.

Marsh directed “Clowns, Lovers, and Women in Pants” to explore a variety of roles.

“Being asked to create a performance from ‘Shakespeare’s Comedies’ is a wide and open-ended challenge, and left us with more questions than answers at first, the primary one being, ‘Which comedy shall we focus on?’”

Marsh said. “In the end, we got greedy and decided to do some of the best bits from all of them.”

Leading theatre schools from Japan, Korea, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Austria, England, China, Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, and Poland are alliance members. Parker said that in addition to the performance and masterclass opportunities, the festival served as an excellent networking opportunity for students.

“They have created bonds with theatre peers all around the world,” he said. “There is no telling where those connections will lead over the course of their careers.”

Police Chief Selected

Project Director Named

Dexter Nelson is the new chief of police at Oklahoma City University. Nelson, who was a major in the Oklahoma City Police Department, assumed the role at OCU in March, following the university’s national search for the position. Police Director Bill Citty, who served as OCU’s interim chief of police during the search process, continues to consult with the OCU Police Department and has helped ensure a smooth transition.

Nelson has served in law enforcement for 33 years, joining the Oklahoma City Police Department in 1987. He has worked in numerous disciplines of law enforcement including patrol operations, homicide, internal affairs, media relations, gang enforcement, narcotics investigations, airport, and the hostage/ crisis negotiations unit. He also has supervised and commanded many specialized units consisting of special events, the bomb squad and tactical unit, and air support.

Nelson holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology/ Christian ethics from Mid-America Christian University and is a graduate of the 246th FBI National Academy.

His extensive experience in law enforcement and community relations will serve him well as he leads the OCU department forward, President Martha Burger said.

Andrea Miller was named legal director for the Oklahoma Innocence Project at Oklahoma City University School of Law. Miller was previously the project’s clinical professor and will continue as an adjunct.

In those roles, she litigates state and federal wrongful conviction cases, chooses cases from approximately 800 in the backlog for further review and investigation, manages the Oklahoma Innocence Clinic in terms of active cases and involved students, teaches, and more.

Miller joined OKIP after an impressive career with the Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office. She was the appellate division chief for the public defender’s office, where she handled capital, general felony, and misdemeanor cases.

Miller served as president of the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association for three years and remains active on the board of directors. She is a 1996 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

Theatre photo by Patricia Berning Spring 2020 7

ILDS U B L OO

O s e g d i r B

SCH

‘La Lydia’ Sets a Path to Higher Learning

BY R O D J O N ES

There it is again—that persistent 4 a.m. alarm blaring from the clock. Time to get up. Snooze is not an option. You have 30 minutes to get up, get ready, and get to the border checkpoint.

Welcome to Monday. And Tuesday. And every other weekday for the rest of the school year. It’s still dark outside—and will likely be dark on the return walk home—but the promise of a bright future is just around the corner. This is the kind of dedication that sends many a student on the path of success at the Lydia Patterson Institute.

The private United Methodist school blocks away from the U.S.Mexico border has been educating students from both countries for more than a century. Some students come from its home city of El Paso, Texas. Others from neighboring Juarez, Mexico.

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City has been a prominent supporter for several years, and this is why: “‘La Lydia’”—as it is commonly known to friends—“has been dedicated to building bridges between two countries, two cities, and two cultures.”

An astounding 95 percent of Lydia Patterson’s graduating seniors go on to attend a college or university. That figure is far higher than the national average. According to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 70 percent of high school graduates in the country as a whole go on to college.

Even for those who don’t, having a degree and experience from La Lydia can have a profound, positive impact on graduates’ lives, said institute President Dr. Socorro de Anda.

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photo of student Luisa Torres by Josh Robinson

Over Borders Since 1913 The Lydia Patterson Institute was founded in 1913 and named in memoriam. Working with the Women’s Missionary Society in the early 1900s, Lydia Patterson organized schools in homes around poor sections of El Paso to teach Hispanic children, who were not allowed to attend the public schools at that time. She died in 1909. The institute was one of the first schools in the country to teach English as a second language.

“I can’t begin to tell you how seriously they take their education,” de Anda said. “Not everyone gets the opportunity to receive a private education for free, and they all realize that.”

She said many Lydia Patterson students go to college in hopes of gaining skills to bring back home to help improve their community. Common career choices include medicine, education, and church ministry.

With such a high rate of college-bound hopefuls in a school that enrolls around 300 students, Lydia Patterson

uses staff counselors and a network of United Methodist volunteers across the country—especially in the Southwest— to help students find and apply for higher education.

One of those champions is the Rev. Josh Attaway (BM Music/Business ’12), pastor of St. Luke’s Edmond United Methodist Church. Attaway helps Lydia Patterson high school students find internships and places to stay, and also helps the graduates connect with the scholarships to continue their education. The church offers four scholarships each academic year.

Pattern below drawn from U.S.Mexico border architecture and wire in El Paso, Texas—an everyday sight for most La Lydia students traveling to and from school.

Spring 2020 9

Attaway learned about Lydia Patterson while growing up in the United Methodist Church. Since becoming a pastor, he has hosted several interns who have come up during the summer as part of a high school-lay servant extracurricular program. He has been to El Paso a few times to witness what life is like for students there, including walking with students from the border to the school and sitting with them in class.

“It’s gratifying to help these students reach their dreams,” Attaway said. “We help open doors that otherwise wouldn’t be open.”

Luisa Torres, an OCU sophomore who plans to enter the nursing program this fall, is one of this year’s Lydia Patterson scholars. Her major of choice was inspired by her mother, a nurse in Juarez.

Torres describes her childhood as normal, but in a dangerous city with cartel violence often spilling into the city streets. Her father and brother are journalistic photographers.

“They don’t even print their names with their photos because they don’t want the gangs to know who they are,” she said.

She says her hometown is safer than it used to be, but the cartels have left many areas of poverty in their wake. She plans to return to Mexico to do mission work after she gets her nursing degree.

Torres has embodied OCU’s nickname—Over-Committed University—since high school.

“I was very involved in school. I helped organize chapel service and played in the mariachi band. I was there every day from 7 a.m. to 6 at night,” she said.

All scholarship students at Lydia Patterson are required to make

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“ Every time I wake up, I’m thinking how grateful I am to be here.”

LU ISA TO R R ES O N O C U

This page, clockwise from top left: Luisa Torres snapped a photo at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing on her way to school.

Torres and other La Lydia students helped clean the school. She played and sang in the school’s mariachi band. Opposite page: La Lydia took seniors to a college fair in Texas.

Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photos provided by Luisa Torres

“ The first moment I saw

this place, I fell in love.”

EM ILIA NO TARIN ON OC U

some kind of labor contribution to help the school. With duties like sweeping, mopping, and serving in the cafeteria, Torres said the requirement helped keep the school clean and well maintained.

“It made the school like a family.

Everyone is responsible for taking care of it,” she said.

Adding those extra few hours at the border crossing had Torres up early every day and late getting home, but she says it was all worth it. Especially on the day she learned she was accepted to OCU. “One day during my senior year, the president called me to the office,” she said.

“I was so scared, but I couldn’t think of anything I did wrong. What a relief when

the president said I had been accepted.”

Torres had spent the summer before that year in an internship at St. Luke’s, during which she was able to explore the city and campus.

“Every time I wake up, I’m thinking how grateful I am to be here.”

Emiliano Tarin, also an OCU sophomore nursing hopeful from Lydia Patterson, remembers his first time on campus.

“The first moment I saw this place, I fell in love,” Tarin said. “Just seeing these old historic buildings and landscape, it felt like the place I wanted to be.”

Tarin described the extra steps and paperwork it took to enroll in both high school and college in the U.S. as a Mexican

citizen—made easier with the support and encouragement of family, friends, and school staffs on both sides of the border.

“The hardest challenge and test for us now is to have the strength to be so far away from home,” he said.

Both students have found activities to help them get over any lingering homesickness.

A musician herself, Torres volunteers at El Sistema Oklahoma, a music school for underserved children with partnership support from OCU, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, and Delaware Resource Group. Several of the children need help with English, which allows Torres to utilize her skills and personal experience.

Left: Photo provided by Emiliano Tarin • Right: Photo by Josh Robinson Spring 2020 11

Then & Now

O C U B E G A N O N I T S C U R R E N T C A M P U S with one building on a flat piece of land in what amounted to the suburbs early last century, and it has never stopped growing. New facilities have emerged and technology and fashions have changed, but some things never change: the need to take notes during class and choose new courses every semester, the unique opportunity to make friends on campus, and some of the people— coaches, professors, staff—themselves. Take a gander down memory lane, and get to know one family that has attended OCU for three generations.

Three Generations at Oklahoma City’s University

BY AP R I L M A R C I S Z EWS K I

F O R T H E J O N E S F A M I LY , O K L A H O M A C I T Y U N I V E R S I T Y I S H O M E .

1st

Generation

Thomas Boyd Jones OCU Student, ’51–’52 The family’s OCU story starts with Thomas Boyd Jones, father of alumnus Bob Jones.

Thomas worked in lumber in Seminole and Shawnee before advancing to Midwest City, which was undergoing a building boom, Bob said. He managed a lumber store and

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rubbed elbows with all of the builders.

“He saw that as his calling,” Bob said.

“He went to OCU to have some educational backing for his lifetime experiences.”

He took architectural drafting and tech drawing classes at OCU and started with a show home on Bella Vista Drive in Midwest City. Over his career from the mid-’50s to the late ’70s, he built several hundred homes and had a street—East Jones Place—named in his honor, Bob said.

Thomas chose OCU because it was considered the college for American Indians in Oklahoma City, Bob said.

Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine “Now” photos by Josh Robinson • “Then” photos courtesy of University Archives

Above, left to right: OCU shown circa 1928—with the Administration Building, new Fine Arts Building, Physical Plant, football field, Gold Star Auditorium, and the roadway constructed through the Works Project Administration—and in 2019. Bachelor of Arts diplomas from 1929 and 2019 with modern Greg Burns art print.

2nd

Generation

Bob Jones • Sandy Smyrl Jones BSB ’81, BS ’82 • BA ’75, MA ’78, BS ’81

“OCU has always had a strong Native presence,” Bob said. “That’s the reason my wife and I went, and that’s the reason our kids went. … There was such a strong belief that we were worthwhile. Of course, I’m coming from the dark ages talking like that.”

Bob belongs to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and Sandy is Alaska Native from Naknek Native Village and Bristol Bay Native Corporation. Both went to high school in Midwest City, and Sandy didn’t go to school with another Alaska Native student until she got to OCU. She now works for the Indian Health Service.

Russ Tallchief, OCU director of student diversity and inclusion, said OCU Left: photo provided by Sandy Smyrl Jones • Above: Eli, Bob, Sandy Smyrl, and Tommy Jones, provided by Eli Jones Spring 2020 13

THEN & NOW

This page, clockwise from top left: Opened in 2016, the business school’s Bloomberg Terminal computer lab has proven itself to be an important tool for teaching finance and economics. “Now” photo by Josh Robinson. In April 1953, Business School Dean Glenn D. Overman was building up the school, and OCU offered both traditional day classes on campus and evening classes downtown in the former YMCA building. The Accounting Club, established in 1947, was also popular at the time.

“Then” photos courtesy of University Archives.

Sandy and Bob Jones at OCU’s 2012 homecoming.

Photo provided by Jones family. Opposite page, lower photo: Eli Jones competed on the varsity rowing team when rowing was just getting started at OCU and in Oklahoma City. Archive photo from OCU Communications.

continues to have a strong Native American Society to this day, with weekly meetings, Indian taco sales, and an annual powwow.

The students “provide a safe place for (other) students to learn about themselves as Natives.” They graduate with a strong Native network of peers and potential colleagues, he said.

That’s in part thanks to Bob and Sandy’s son, Tommy, who helped reestablish the NAS, served as its president, and helped restart the powwow in the mid-2000s. He was honored as a distinguished alumnus at the powwow’s 10-year anniversary in recent years. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Sandy majored in art and played piano at OCU; she later studied education. She especially remembers art professors Brunel Faris and Jack Davis. “Your professors were approachable. You could talk to them; they made time for you,” she said.

Sandy remembers when the art department moved out of barracks and into

“ Saying that you are a third-generation graduate is something that I take pride in.”

EL I J O N ES

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

the Gold Star Memorial Building. “It was wonderful … because then it didn’t rain on the artwork,” she said. “Those kids who are on campus now don’t know how good they have it—they have gallery space and equipment.”

Bob studied business and credits his OCU education in making him skillfully adaptable. He has always preferred to work for himself, and he went from the oil field into work as a machinist, then a photographer, and then a successful gold prospector in Alaska before retiring.

OCU “instilled in me that I can do what I set out to do,” Bob said.

Being at OCU “was the happiest times of our kids’ lives and ours,” Sandy said. Every time she drives by, she snaps a photo of campus and sends it to the family, saying, “Wish we were there!”

“It’s the best feeling ever—it really makes you proud” to know their sons went to OCU, Bob said.

Left to right: Brian Harvey at age 16, having just signed as a youth player for Sheffield, England, and more recently while coaching. Until his retirement after last season, Harvey was the only head coach OCU soccer had ever had since the men’s program began in 1986 and women’s started in 1994. “Then” photo provided by Harvey family; “now” photo by Josh Robinson. Course catalogs from 1923 and spring 2020. Today, catalogs are accessed online.

Catalogs courtesy of University Archives and University Communications.

3rd

Generation

Eli Jones • Tommy Jones BSB ’08 • BS ’08

The boys grew up going to OCU basketball games, and when it came time to apply for college, OCU was their dream.

“Saying that you are a third-generation graduate is something I take pride in,” Eli said.

He and Tommy were close and knew they’d go to college together; they were roommates in Smith Hall, where Eli served as president for a time.

Both played JV basketball, Eli played JV soccer, and Tommy rowed at the varsity level when rowing was just getting started and the boathouse at the Oklahoma River looked more like a temporary building than the resplendent facilities there now. Eli later walked on to the varsity rowing team, too.

Tommy’s lightweight four boat was the best in the region, he said, and his last year, his two-person boat came in third at nationals. Eli earned an all-points cup, among other wins.

Tommy’s favorite OCU memory is competing in the first night rowing race

in the nation with the U.S. Olympic team present and fireworks that blossomed over the river as he crossed the finish line.

Eli’s favorite memory also comes from his involvement with OCU athletics. He often played pickup basketball in Frederickson Fieldhouse, remembers seeing future Harlem Globetrotter Curtis Haywood (OCU student from 1997-99) play there, and worked in the building as a student. Before demolition, Eli played a game of HORSE with a coworker, shot all 3’s, and won, he

recalled. “Later I snuck in and made one last 3 on the court, so I like to think to myself that I won the last game played and made the last shot taken on the court.”

“Especially with the JV teams, it was nice that you could put on an OCU jersey,” he said. “I felt a pride in that.”

Tommy said he grew up at OCU. “I went from a young kid from a small town (Jones, Oklahoma) to someone who was exposed to a whole range of cultures. I think the rowing team gave me structure inside and outside the classroom.” He went on to earn a master’s degree and a Ph.D. and works as a federal contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy in Lakewood, Colorado.

Eli works in Chicago as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Labor, reviewing non-immigrant visas.

“OCU’s legacy in my life will always be that of good memories, a place that felt like home, and a place that I’ll always be grateful for,” Eli said.

Tommy described it as a “phenomenal experience.”

“My parents supported us going to OCU because they knew with the knowledge and experiences we had there, we would be able to be successful in our lives. I think that we have been,” he said. “OCU gave us the foundation to make lasting, generational impacts. Our children will have a strong footing when that time comes.”

Spring 2020 15

THEN & NOW

Clockwise from top left: Fashions change, but walking to class remains the same. “Now” photo by Shane Bevel. Jo Rowan teaches dance students in 2020 and the 1980s. “Now’ photo by Josh Robinson. Professors once kept grades by hand, as in history professor Dr. Lloyd Musselman’s 1969–70 notebook, but now keep track with the online D2L system, which also gives students access to class materials. “Then” photos courtesy of University Archives.

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

F A C U LT Y

¿QUIÉN ES

Disco Donna?

BY TE RRY PHELPS

To connect with students in her Spanish classes, assistant professor Donna Hodkinson (BA Spanish ’75) uses various techniques, such as wearing T-shirts from concerts she has attended, like a Bee Gees concert 21 years ago. “I came to class bopping around and wearing my newest T-shirt,” she recalls. “One guy said, ‘Just call her Disco Donna!’ and my nickname was born.”

She admits, “I really am more of a hard rock head-banger,” but the name has stuck.

Hodkinson has been teaching at OCU “for 72 percent of my life,” she says, beginning as an adjunct in 1976. But as a work-study student, she taught here as a substitute when professors had emergency absences. She recalls classes in OCU’s converted old World War II Quonset hut, when smoking was allowed in classrooms. One professor smoked while lecturing, a cigarette in one hand and chalk in the other. Once he accidentally tried to take a drag off the chalk.

After completing her BA at OCU, she earned an M.Ed. at the University of Central Oklahoma and an Ed.D. from Oklahoma State University.

She first fell in love with Spanish in the fourth grade, watching a 15-minute TV lesson once a week. The language came easily to her, and she could “speak what I thought of as a secret language with a whole new group of people.” She later attributed her affinity for the language and culture to her mother’s being pregnant with her on a vacation to Havana, Cuba.

Courses she teaches include Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition, Spanish Conversation, and Latin American and Spanish Civilization. She has accompanied study abroad students to Tepotzlán and Nuevo Casas Grande, Mexico, and has supervised students in service-learning projects teaching introductory Spanish in neighborhood public elementary schools.

She is particularly proud of her advanced students’ work at Gatewood Elementary School to satisfy their service-learning requirement. For 15 years, OCU students provided Spanish lessons to children in kindergarten through fifth grade, writing their own lesson plans, designing handouts, and creating games that incorporated the vocabulary. Many of the children did not know anyone personally who’d gone to college, so OCU students provided an example of the possibilities open to those who strived for academic success.

Hodkinson and her husband, John, have had “National Lampoon-style vacations,” as she calls them, through New Mexico and Colorado with their children. Their son, Travis, and daughter, Kelly, both attended OCU, majoring in art and photography, respectively.

Photo by Josh Robinson Spring 2020 17

BOOKS

“Saving God from Religion: A Minister’s Search for Faith in a Skeptical Age”

Meyers

BY SO CIA L JU STICE P ROFE S S OR E MER I TU S THE REV. R OBIN ME YE RS

A revelatory manifesto on how people can reclaim faith from abstract doctrines and rigid morals to find God in the joys and ambiguities of everyday life, “Saving God from Religion” has Meyers arguing that people need to stop seeing their actions as a means for pleasing a distant God and rediscover how God has empowered people to care for themselves and the world. Drawing on stories from his decades of active ministry, Meyers captures how the struggles of ordinary people hint at how people can approach faith as a radical act of trust in a God who is all around, even in doubts and the moments of life people fear the most.

R E C O M M E N D E D : “I am currently rereading 1984 by George Orwell, because I am teaching it in the Honors Seminar class, Ethics of Communication. Everyone should read (or reread) this timeless dystopian novel in light of rising totalitarianism around the world, and our willingness to give up our privacy and our individual freedom to the latest manifestation of Big Brother.”

“T&T Clark Handbook of Children in the Bible and Biblical World” E DI TED BY RELIG ION P ROFE S S OR SH AR ON BETSWORTH AND JU LIE FAITH PA RK E R

This volume contains essays written by an international group of scholars who are shaping the emerging field of childist biblical interpretation. Childist interpretation focuses on the agency and action of children and youth in the biblical text. Throughout out the volume a variety of methodological approaches and textual analyses explore children in ancient Jewish and Christian religious texts and contexts.

R E C O M M E N D E D : “I just finished reading ‘The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Birth’ by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. I’m teaching

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

a course on the Gospel of Luke for Saint Paul School of Theology this semester, and it’s one of the books we are using in the class. The book does a great job of putting the stories of Jesus’ birth into the historical context of the Roman Empire, as well as comparing the versions of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke to each other, and discussing what each Gospel is trying to convey about the birth of Jesus.”

Johnson

“Mormons, Musical Theater, and Belonging in America”

BY M US I C O LO GY PR O F ES S O R DR . JA K E J O HN S O N

Betsworth

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints adopted the vocal and theatrical traditions of American musical theater as important theological tenets. As church membership grew, leaders saw how the genre could help define the faith and wove musical theater into many aspects of Mormon life. Jake Johnson merges the study of belonging in America with scholarship on voice and popular music to explore the surprising yet profound link between two quintessentially American institutions.

R E C O M M E N D E D : “It seems I’m always reading several things at once, but my current obsession is ‘The Overstory’ by Richard Powers … (who) threads a great deal of information about trees—things you never thought you would hope to know—through a powerful narrative about presence, community, and the environment. Two thumbs up.”

“Escaping the Flames”

BY A LUM N US TO DD OV ER GA R D ( B S B US I N ES S ’ 7 3)

Todd Overgard’s autobiography includes his many encounters with life-threatening dangers including an airplane crash that happened during his senior year at OCU. He was 21, in 1972, when the jet that he had just boarded was rolling toward its takeoff speed. Suddenly, the pilots saw a plane dead ahead and attempted to fly over it, but the collision was unavoidable.

With flames inside and outside the plane, Todd scrambled to escape.

Todd has survived tornados, earthquakes, lightning storms, freezing temperatures, a gang murder trial, and more. He was also a tennis professional who earned three martial

Overgard

arts black belts, pursued the love of his life, and vanquished his demons. “Escaping the Flames” is the stunning story of a narrow escape from death, the trauma that such a disaster brings in its aftermath, and the very unusual events that occurred both before and after the crash.

R E C O M M E N D E D : “I am currently reading ‘Unspeakable Things’

by Jess Lourey. It is inspired by a true story from the author’s hometown while growing up in 1980s Minnesota and rumors of young boys disappearing and then returning sullen and angry. I spent the first 11 years of my life in the upper Midwest, and I enjoy crime thrillers.”

Wolfe

BY A PR I L M A R C I S Z EWS K I

“Wisdom Commentary: Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes)”

BY R E LIG ION PROFES S OR R E V. L ISA M . WOLFE

Qoheleth, also called Ecclesiastes, has been bad news for women throughout history. In this commentary, Lisa Wolfe offers intriguing new possibilities for feminist interpretation of the Qoheleth, including its offensive passages. Throughout her interpretation, Wolfe explores connections between this book and women of all times, from investigating how the verbs in the time poem in 3:1-8 may relate to biblical and contemporary women alike, to noting that if 11:1 indicates ancient beer making, it thus reveals the women who made the beer itself.

In the end, Wolfe argues that by struggling with the perplexing text of Qoheleth, we may discover fruitful, against-the-grain reading strategies for our own time.

R E C O M M E N D E D : “I’ve been reading ‘The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus’ by AmyJill Levine. My colleague in New Testament, the Rev. Dr. Sharon Betsworth, recommended this fascinating—even entertaining—book to me when I was seeking ways to help my Intro students better understand Judaism in Jesus’ time. It is so easy for Christians to read the New Testament in anti-Semitic ways, so one of my central teaching goals is to correct those misinterpretations for the sake of interfaith understanding. I have assigned this book to my Honors Bible and Culture students, who are devising ways to teach the material to others.”

The Human Side of Nursing

FisherCunningham & Wright

Clinical instructor of nursing Katy Fisher-Cunningham is a neuroscience nurse by trade, and she once cared for a man in his 80s who wasn’t expected to survive beyond her shift. His family had gathered to say goodbye.

“A few hours before he passed, he started to see his mother in the room,” Fisher-Cunningham said. “The whole atmosphere of the room changed from very tense, very sad, very worried—hospital machines beeping and people running down the hall—to this man who was utterly comforted by the presence of his mom with him. Even though he never really lost that he was a grown man with his wife and his grown children, he had this presence with him, and you could see in everyone how that brought the stress down and how they knew he was going to be taken care of when he passed.”

Fisher-Cunningham shared her story in the new book “Miracles and Mysteries Witnessed by Nurses,” edited by noted caring science theorist Jean Watson.

This approach to nursing of allowing for miracles and seeing people rather than symptoms is both inherent in those who choose the profession and points to the influence of Watson’s caring science on OCU’s Kramer School of Nursing, said Assistant Dean and nursing professor Liz Diener and assistant professor Vanessa Wright.

Diener completed a post-doctoral certificate in caring science with Watson DR . VA N ES SA WR I G HT in 2008, and Wright will complete her post-doctoral fellowship in July. In her post-doc, Wright has researched the ethical implications of nursing errors and whether students perceive faculty as more caring if the faculty practice self-care.

Caring science “is bringing the humanity back into nursing,” Wright said.

“Simply by being present in the room (with patients), we alter their healing moments. We can measure that now.”

When Wright first studied with Diener as a student, she only believed in the value of empirical or quantitative data, she said. Diener challenged her to be present with each patient instead of thinking of the next 20 tasks she needed to complete.

“This transformed my interactions with patients and my interactions with students,” Wright said. She now leads OCU’s Master of Science in Nursing program.

OCU’s nursing school has long had a culture of caring, with current faculty “very interested in honoring the patients’ experiences and developing connections with patients,” Diener said. Even when a patient cannot be cured, healing can happen in the patient’s quality of life, spiritual needs, relationships, and many other aspects of life. “I’ve tried to pass that torch to all of our faculty.”

R E C O M M E N D E D : “The Woman Upstairs” by Claire Messud. “It’s about strong women who refuse to be silenced. I relate to that, and I surround myself with those kind of women.” —Katy Fisher-Cunningham R E C O M M E N D E D : “Totality and Infinity” by Emmanuel Levinas. This 1961 philosophy book “challenges taken-for-granted assumptions” and “allows for self-reflection.” Levinas was different from other philosophers of his time, as he described philosophy as primarily ethical and not ontological and he proposed that ethics does not start with experience of the self, but with the other. —Vanessa Wright

“ Simply by being present

in the room, we alter their healing moments.”

Spring 2020 19

STUDENT

Dad on Campus Senior Jay Williams prepares for seminary, competes on the cheer team—and parents his nephews.

BY L ESLIE BERG ER

R

eligion senior Jay Williams found a home at OCU before he finished the first semester of his freshman year. By the time he was a sophomore, he began extending that home to his two young nephews. Now, as a senior, he has permanently adopted the 11-year-old twins and enjoys balancing his newfound role as a parent with his studies, a part-time pastoral role, and a spot on the OCU Cheer team.

Williams said the kindness, acceptance, and support he has found at OCU has helped him overcome the challenges of such an ambitious schedule.

“People always ask how I find time to do everything,” Williams noted. “The answer is, I don’t know but I can’t give up.”

He feels energized by the need to set an example for nephews Anthony and Andre and a desire to give them a bright future.

“Especially as we come from history in our family that is not great, I want them to know that they can change their lives and make a difference. My biggest takeaway has been that your past does not have to define you. You are in charge of your own future.”

Anthony and Andre entered the foster care system shortly before Jay turned 21, the legal age at which he could foster them personally. He found their foster care placement problematic and immediately began making arrangements to care for them on his 21st birthday.

“I knew that if they were with me, I could guarantee they would be well taken care of. I can keep my eye on them and make sure they are raised correctly,” he said.

Williams said he has enjoyed watching the boys progress and perform well in school, first at Gatewood Elementary and now at Belle Isle Enterprise School.

“I see the results of their progress in the ways that other people

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

talk about them,” he noted.

Williams said Anthony and Andre enjoyed their status as “minicelebrities” when they came to reside with him in campus housing.

Williams’ cheer team, classmates, and staff in campus housing all stepped in to help his family experience a smooth transition.

“I am eternally grateful for the kindness and compassion that this university has,” he said.

He is also thrilled for Anthony and Andre to experience immersion in higher education.

“They are surrounded by it, and I hope they decide to continue their educational path to college in whatever they decide to do in life,” he noted. Currently, Anthony and Andre are interested in theater and esports.

Williams, who plans to enter the ordained ministry with the United Methodist Church, plans to continue his own educational path to seminary next year. He felt called to the ministry at a young age while attending a United Methodist camp.

“I came from a very poor upbringing with all of the insecurities you can think of,” he said. “Initially I told God ministry wasn’t for me because I wasn’t going to make money in it. But, over time, I have come to realize that this is truly a passion of mine and there is a much greater reward in the long run.”

Williams recently finished a stint as co-pastor at Village United Methodist Church and is now associate pastor for youth and young adult ministries at Mosaic United Methodist Church.

“I’m excited to study at a place that has taught me the skills to go out and practice,” he said. “I am excited about my work at Mosaic.

It is a lovely church and its passion for inclusion and justice align directly with mine.”

Left to right: Williams and his nephews, Andre at left and Anthony at right, live in campus apartments. Last summer, Williams was a leader at an Oklahoma Methodist camp meant to teach high school youth leadership skills they can use in their daily lives and churches. Williams delivers a sermon at an OCU chapel service this semester. Photos by Josh Robinson and Ethan Cooper.

One of the courses at OCU that helped shape Williams’ philosophy was liberation theology, taught by Dr. John Starkey, who passed away in January.

“That was my favorite class,” Williams remembered. “It shaped me and solidified the way that I think about God and the way I interact in the world. It honed in on some perspectives I already had and gave me the language to express my thoughts and convictions.”

Williams said he appreciated how Dr. Starkey gave his opinion but encouraged students to find their own.

“He met each student where they came from. He really tailored everything to each student. We had several conversations about theology and church, and he helped me find my way and encouraged me along.”

Williams finds it very meaningful to put his beliefs to work in the ministry.

“We live in a suffering and broken world, and to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world, to overcome and to bring peace and justice into the world, and to let people know they are loved is so healing,” he said. “I found the church for that reason, and I want others to experience the same thing.”

Another driving force in Williams’ life is the OCU Cheer team.

Williams previously cheered at Wewoka High School. When asked what he enjoys most about it, Williams humorously quipped that it’s the only thing keeping him active. On a more serious note, he shared that it’s deeply rewarding to be part of a team that aspires to succeed.

“This is a group that has become my family,” he noted. “Just being part of an atmosphere where you have to have a lot of drive and passion to make it is amazing.”

“Your past

does not have to define you.

You are in charge of your own future.”

Williams said he was nervous coming into a team with a tremendous legacy of success.

“It was nerve-racking to jump into that, but we won the national championship my freshman year! It was amazing to contribute to that.”

Williams said cheer has taught him that he can accomplish anything as long as he doesn’t become complacent.

“Seeing others with the same kind of motivation and drive has pushed me to recognize that I can go anywhere,” he said.

“I can push through no matter how hard things get.”

As Williams approaches graduation and the culmination of this chapter in his life, he said he is always looking for ways to pay forward the opportunities that have helped him along the way.

“I would not be here without the Clara Luper Scholarship, and that’s true for many young adults,” he noted. “I want our donors and alumni to know that their contributions are so important and they are changing lives. My life has been changed, and I’ve been given the opportunity to change my nephews’ lives too.”

Spring 2020 21

STUDENT

Jay’s Hangouts J AY D O E S N ’ T G E T M U C H D O W N T I M E . H E R E ’ S H O W H E C H O O S E S T O S P E N D I T.

Around Town • “The Paseo District is my favorite. I love the art.”

His pick: Picasso Café

• A close second: Bricktown and Fuzzy’s Tacos.

• Musicals at the Civic Center Music Hall.

Favorite: “Hamilton.”

Surprise favorite: “Hello, Dolly.” “I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. It was very empowering.”

On Campus • Allison Hall in the Gold Star building • Alvin’s: “It’s a good place to find community.”

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Illustrations by April Marciszewski

Top Pick for OKC Visitors • Pie Junkie: “Everyone needs to go to Pie Junkie at least once.”

HAPPENINGS

THE NEXT BIG THING

Gaming in Academia Oklahoma City University hosted its first ever esports tournament at the OCU Devon Boathouse during the Oklahoma Regatta Festival in October. The OCU eSports River Rumble, presented

by Chad and Jessica Ford, featured a high school invitational Rocket League tournament and a Super Smash Brothers Ultimate community tournament. It was open to the public and featured an open play area and retro arcade games.

Esports pros from Dallas Fuel were also on hand to greet spectators.

Photos by Josh Robinson Spring 2020  23

ALUMNI

Composing a Career 24 

Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

BY KI M M IZA R

“Put in the work, put in the effort, develop relationships, and do good work.”

F

rom critically acclaimed documentaries to Super Bowl commercials, New Yorkbased composer Jay Wadley (BM ’05) has created scores heard by millions. Upon graduation from OCU, Wadley attended the Yale School of Music and graduated with his MM and Artist Diploma.

He has won two Charles Ives awards from the Academy of Arts and Letters as well as an ASCAP/SCI Student Composer Award for his concert music. He’s been commissioned by Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW, the Yale Band, Williams College and the Nouveau Classical Project and invited as a guest lecturer on composition at Yale, The Peabody institute, NYU, OCU, and Kennesaw State University.

His arrangements and orchestrations for Rufus Wainwright, Mark Ronson, and Calexico have been performed by the San Francisco Symphony, New York City Opera, the Royal Ballet, and the Louisville Symphony Orchestra, among others.

“Jay Wadley entered OCU overflowing with talent,” said Dr. Edward Knight, professor of music/composer in residence at OCU. “He began as a double major in Music Theater and Composition, so he could sing, dance, act, play numerous instruments, and compose. He represents the quintessential composer at OCU, one who can do it all.”

Jay is a former president of Project 21: Music of the 21st Century, which Knight founded in 1997. The group was and still is committed to bringing original musical works to life as they strive to gain insight into the working knowledge of music. “They each draw from their cultural and musical backgrounds to enrich the program,” said Knight. “Project 21 composers learn through experience, developing compositional techniques that allow them to express their authentic selves.”

Wadley’s time at OCU was his introduction into the world of composition. “Studying under Dr. Knight

was an incredible experience. He was instrumental in my success; he laid the groundwork that helped me to develop my voice as a composer,” said Wadley.

Wadley’s first professional score was for the television program “Lie To Me” on Fox as the additional composer, where he learned the fast-paced schedule of television.

He founded his company, Found Objects, with Trevor Gureckis. They have eight full-time staff and 15 to 20 advertising projects going at any given time and have recently moved into a 4,300-square-foot studio in Brooklyn. Wadley’s experience working with composer Philip Glass greatly influenced his business style.

“Through Philip, I learned about scoring for advertising. I restructured my company to reflect Philip’s infrastructure, making a living doing ad work while also developing contacts and moving into films,” he said.

Wadley’s first film score, James Schamus’ “Indignation,” premiered at Sundance in 2016 to rave reviews, opening new doors and affording him new opportunities. He credits much of his success to his time at OCU and the professors who prepared him.

“To have a professor who cares as much as Ed does about his students’ success is incredible. I owe so much to Ed. He instilled a work ethic in me as a young composer. I was given the foundation that allows me to compete in a very competitive industry,” he said.

Wadley’s upcoming releases include Charles Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” an untitled documentary series from Roger Ross Williams (“Life Animated,” “Apollo”), and the Sundance NEXT Audience and Innovation award-winning “I Carry You With Me,” directed by Heidi Ewing (“Jesus Camp,” “Detropia”).

“Being contacted by Charles Kaufman was the most exciting and most terrifying phone call of my life, but this project allows me to incorporate skills I’ve been able to acquire over the years,” he said.

Wadley has received awards and accolades for his work, including his score for James Schamus’ “Indignation” (Lionsgate), which was featured in Indie Wire’s “10 Best Scores of 2016” and received a Billboard premiere and a concert performance by the Winnipeg Symphony for “Soundtracks Live.” His recent projects include “Tales of the City” (Netflix/Universal) starring Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, and Ellen Page; Emmy-nominated “Raised in the System”; “VICE” season 6 premier (HBO), Rhys Ernst’s (“Transparent”) directorial debut “Adam”; Andrew Ahn’s (“Spa Night”) “The OA” (Netflix/Plan-B); Anu Valia’s Sundance-winning short “Lucia, Before & After”; and Jacob La Mendola’s Emmynominated “Long Shot” (Netflix). His films have played at Sundance, Telluride, SXSW, Berlin, Rotterdam, Tribeca, BFI London, LA Film Festival, Montreal, and others.

“My advice to future composers is that there’s not one path or one way,” he said.

“Put in the work, put in the effort, develop relationships, and do good work; things will happen.”

Photo courtesy of Jay Wadley Spring 2020 25

AT H L E T I C S

A Season Away “It will be one of the best

moments in my coaching career the next time I get to write his name on a lineup card.”

COACH DENNY CRABAUGH

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

Baseball Team Rallies Around Player Fighting Cancer

BY RI C H TO RTO R EL L I

Caleb Davis counted on attending class, taking the field at Jim Wade Stadium, and preparing for his senior baseball season when last fall began.

Instead, Davis headed to medical treatments while paring down his class schedule to a couple of online courses.

Davis’ plans were derailed in August when doctors caught cancer in his lungs.

With encouragement from his coaches, teammates, and supporters across college baseball, Davis fought to regain his health.

His final day of treatments came Nov. 15.

On Dec. 9, doctors declared Davis’ cancer to be in remission.

“It’s taken me out of my senior year and my routine of classes, my friends, and baseball,” said Davis, a senior outfielder from Yukon, Oklahoma. “I miss my friends, the guys, and baseball. It makes me miss it, but appreciate it better.”

Early in August, Davis felt sick one Sunday, then went to the doctor. He spent the next week going to different doctors. The doctors determined he had cancer in his testicle, so Davis underwent surgery.

In follow-up appointments, doctors found lesions on Davis’ lungs and diagnosed him with stage 3A cancer.

Davis had been fighting what he thought was bronchitis last spring. He visited the doctor, but quickly got some cough medicine and went about his business. His weight dropped by 20 pounds as he played his junior year. Still, he hit .357 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs in a breakout season for the Stars.

After his diagnosis, Davis underwent four rounds of treatments. His sessions lasted from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. five days in a row.

Doctors gave him two weeks off between treatments for recovery, and for those two weeks, Davis felt drained.

“I didn’t leave the house and felt sick all the time.”

The OCU baseball team has supported Davis throughout the process. Prior to his treatments, Davis’ family hosted a

gathering to prepare him for the journey ahead. Davis shaved his head, and the Stars lined up to shave theirs, too, as a sign of support.

“Everyone who knows Caleb knows that he is a tough guy who doesn’t complain when things don’t go his way,” said his teammate Kolin Marley. “Caleb stood in front of the whole team at our first meeting and explained to us what he was about to endure. He was abnormally positive about the situation he was presented with and accepting of God’s plan for him. Caleb’s biggest worry was that he thought he was going to be letting his teammates down …. After hearing that, in my mind I was confident that Caleb was going to win his battle with cancer.”

OCU head coach Denney Crabaugh helped Davis by contacting his professors to ensure they knew what he was going through and accommodated his situation.

Crabaugh and assistant coach Keith Lytle have been rooting him along.

“They have been calling and texting me encouragement, asking me what I need,” Davis said of the OCU coaches. “DC has helped me so much in my classes.”

Crabaugh said: “Caleb met this challenge head on and has always been focused on beating it and returning to the team. The way that he has approached this challenge has been inspirational to the team and those around him.”

During one of his treatments, Davis’ OCU teammates surprised him at the clinic.

Marley and Jake Patterson sat in with him while he took his intravenous therapy.

“They talked sports and what’s happening at practice, brought me up to speed,” Davis said.

Marley counts Davis as one of his closest friends. Davis and Marley were both freshmen during the 2017 season.

“When I got the chance to visit with Caleb during his chemo treatments, his first questions were always regarding the team,” Marley said. “I would keep him

up-to-date on how practices were going and how individuals were doing. Then for the next couple hours Caleb, his mom, Lara, and I would talk, joke, and laugh for a while. It was good to see him smiling and upbeat, and I was happy to be hanging out with my friend again. Even though Caleb wouldn’t let me see his struggles, there were days that I could tell he was mentally and physically exhausted. It was hard seeing a close friend in such pain, but seeing the way he held his composure was amazing.”

Oklahoma City’s Sooner Athletic Conference rivals found out about Davis and have rallied around his cause.

Southwestern Christian gathered handwritten notes from its team and delivered them to Davis. Texas Wesleyan sent Davis a video of the team giving him well wishes.

Davis’ mother has taken time away from the family business, a boutique in downtown Yukon, to care for Caleb.

Lara said: “I can believe that we will be on the other side of these mountains someday soon, and we will see how the fire has refined us and how much stronger we are because we kept putting one foot in front of the other.”

Davis dreamed of running out to his spot in the outfield when the Stars opened their season Feb. 1, but instead, he took this spring off to recover. He planned to try to regain his swing and arm strength in time for the 2021 campaign.

“I have no doubts that he will beat this, and will rejoin the team soon,” Crabaugh said. “It will be one of the best moments in my coaching career the next time I get to write his name on a lineup card.”

Davis has left his mark on his team despite his presence being sparse this fall.

“Even though Caleb wasn’t on the field with us, he impacted us in more ways than he will ever know,” Marley said. “Overall, Caleb’s journey has inspired me to want to be a better person, friend, and teammate.”

Photo by Josh Robinson Spring 2020 27

AT H L E T I C S

Stars Take Fifth Cross Country National Title No. 1

Rank in every poll in 2019 and 2018

5th

NAIA men’s cross country championship

69th

National Championship

27-Year

Streak of National Championships

Highlights Mark Shaw (pictured at left) from Ormesby, Middlesbrough, England, of the Stars nabbed his second individual national title. Oscar Kipkoros took fifth, and Max McNeill finished 13th to seize allAmerican honors for the third year in a row.

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association awarded OCU head coach Matt Aguero (pictured at far left) the NAIA men’s cross country coach of the year and Shaw athlete of the year. The USTFCCCA also named OCU the scholar team of the year for the second straight season and Shaw the men’s scholar-athlete of the year.

Aguero has now won back-to-back men’s cross country titles as head coach at OCU.

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Team and coach photos by Josh Robinson • Race photo by Zach Shore

Track & Field Leaps Ahead

In the past three years, OCU has built up its track and field roster and competitive presence. In addition to distance running, OCU now competes in the following events:

2

Indoor Track

1

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

3

Home of the Champs

STUNT on Parade

1 The NAIA awarded the 2022 Women’s Golf National Championships to Lincoln Park Golf Course hosted by OCU. Oklahoma City’s oldest public golf course unveiled its new $9.25 million club house in spring 2015.

For information on hole sponsorships and volunteer opportunities, contact Chris Maxon, OCU associate athletic director for development, at 405-208-5431 or camaxon@okcu.edu.

2 Oklahoma City University STUNT coach Karly Judkins and a group of 13 Stars performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 28 in New York City.

Scholarship Established Alumnus Matt Houston created the Northwestern Mutual Houston District Office Scholarship through his company to provide annual funds for an OCU student-athlete each year for the next five years.

A two-time baseball all-American at OCU, Houston was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2003. He later completed his degree and joined Houston Financial, a family-run financial service and advisory practice in Oklahoma City.

For more information on giving to OCU Athletics, contact Chris Maxon, associate athletic director for development, at 405-208-5431 or camaxon@okcu.edu.

Win No. 1,500 Baseball coach Denney Crabaugh earned career win No. 1,500 in an 11–3 victory over York (Neb.) on Feb. 1 at Jim Wade Stadium. He is the second active coach in the NAIA to reach that height. Crabaugh has led OCU to 14 NAIA World Series appearances, 14 50-win seasons, and the 2005 national championship.

Wrestling Crown 3 Rachel Watters, a senior from Ankeny, Iowa, collected the 155-pound national championship in the Women’s College Wrestling Association Championships on Feb. 8. Five Stars wrapped up all-American acclaim. OCU’s Nkechinyere Nwankwo posted a third-place finish at 191, while Sydney Freund at 143 and Destiny Lyng at 136 placed fourth. Mattison Parker, at 130, picked up seventh.

Watters secured a berth in the U.S. Olympic Trials.

60 60 Hurdles 200 400 600 4 x 400 Relay High Jump Pole Vault Long Jump Triple Jump Shot Put Weight Throw Pentathlon Heptathlon

Outdoor Track • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

100 200 400 100 Hurdles 110 Hurdles 400 Hurdles 4 x 100 relay 4 x 400 relay High Jump Pole Vault Long Jump Triple Jump Shot Put Discus Throw Hammer Throw Javelin Throw Heptathlon Decathlon

The roster has grown from eight women each finishing in the top 10 three years ago to more than 70 men and women collectively finishing fifth indoors in 2019.

Left: Photo by Josh Robinson Spring 2020 29

CLASS NOTES

Share Your News Send personal and professional developments, along with large photos, to alumni@okcu.edu.

Read All About It Alumni news available 24/7 at okcu.edu/alumni/news.

1960s

David Black (BM ’64) played piano to accompany Meryl Streep’s singing at Carrie Fisher’s memorial service.

405 magazine ran a feature story about alumna and trustee Jane Jayroe Gamble (BM ’69; HDHL ’11) and her home.

1970s

Dr. Bard Coats (BA ’71), president emeritus of HealthCare Partners Nevada, was named to the board of directors for Las Vegas HEALS, a nonprofit membership-based health care association.

President Donald Trump awarded a posthumous Presidential Citizens Medal to the family of retired Army Col. Rick Rescorla (JD ’75), a Vietnam veteran who is credited for saving thousands of lives during the 9/11 terror attacks.

Doug Combs (JD ’76), associate justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, was inducted into the Shawnee Basketball Hall of Fame.

Andrew K. Benton (JD ’79), former president of Pepperdine University, was appointed to the board of directors for Ensysce Biosciences Inc., a clinical phase company working on solutions for severe pain relief.

1980s

The Athletic ran a feature story about Keith Grant (BS ’80), the longest-tenured Dallas Mavericks employee.

Melissa Black (BM ’80) released her latest recording, “Someone You Loved.”

American Theatre magazine ran a feature story about Donald Jordan (BA ’80), co-founder

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and artistic director of Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, in the December issue. The story includes praise for Jordan’s fellow theatre co-founder and OCU alumnus Jonathan Beck Reed.

Sheila Elizabeth Fleetwood Hoen, Esq. (JD ’81) received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who. The Shawnee News Star 1 published a commentary

by First Christian Church pastor and former Meinders School of Business associate dean the Rev. Ray Belford (MBA ’82) about Advent worship ceremonies.

Tyson Foods CEO Noel White (MBA ’82) and the Meinders School of Business were included in a U.S. News & World Report story headlined “Business Schools That Trained Fortune 500 CEOs.” Equity Bank hired Barry Woods (MBA ’83) to its commercial lending team in Tulsa.

Janie Simms Hipp (JD ’84), president and CEO of the Native American Agriculture Fund, spoke at the Wisdom of Indigenous Foodways summit in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Independent Observer in Zambia ran an editorial by Henry “Muyange” Kyambalesa (MBA ’85) titled “There is need to protect whistleblowers.”

1 Mark Johnson (MM ’85) performed as King Kaspar in Painted Sky Opera’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”

Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photo by Wendy Mutz

1990s

Dr. Ramona Tumblin-Rucker (MBA ’90), director of construction management for M Property Services, was awarded the Private Sector Executive of the Year award by the MOKAN Construction Contractors Assistance Center in St. Louis.

Ronnie K. Irani (MBA ’90) was honored with the Oklahoma Geological Foundation’s Living Legend Award.

Jordan Times journalist Rana Husseini (BA ’90, MLA ’93) received the Arab Woman of the Year Award 2019 for Social Impact for her role in inspiring women to stand against violence and injustice they face from their families, husbands, or society in general.

“Where the Dead Sit Talking” by Brandon Hobson (BA ’92) was included in The Oklahoman’s “Books with Oklahoma ties make great gifts.”

Glenda Skinner-Noble (BA ’94, BFA ’12) was awarded Elementary Art Teacher of the Year by

O KC LOYA L

S TA R - S T U D D E D C H R I S T M A S

‘KILLING IT’

Eight OCU alumni were accepted into Leadership Oklahoma City, Inc.’s LOYAL Class XV: Brittany Attaway (BA ’13), Bianca Bryant (BSB ’09), Tommy Lee Grossnicklaus (BA ’17), Kendall Lance (BBA ’18), Jairus Lofton (MBA ‘19), Charlie Ludden (BSB ’09), John Andrew Riesenberg (BSB ’11; MS ’14), Steven Sylke (MS ’16).

PBS aired Kristin Chenoweth’s (BM ’91, MM ’93, HDHL ’13) performance with the Tabernacle Choir in its 2018 Christmas concert, recorded live in Salt Lake City. Kelli O’Hara was featured in the 2019 Christmas concert as the soloist, to be broadcast on PBS this year. The concert has been the number one holiday program on PBS for 14 years.

Dance Spirit posted a story headlined “These Oklahoma City University Alums Are Killing It Post-Grad” featuring Ben Lanham (BPA ’13), Tanner Pfluger (BPA ’17), Richard Riaz Yoder (BPA ’06), Benjamin Rivera (BPA ’14), and Matthew Sparks (BPA ’18).

the Oklahoma Art Educators Association.

The Oklahoman featured Laura Fleet (JD ’97), co-founder and CEO of SendaRide, in its Executive Q&A series.

Mark Crenshaw (BA ’97) was inducted into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.

Broadway World posted an interview with Nathan Peck (BPA ’97), who directed and choreographed a North Carolina Theatre production of “Kinky Boots” in February.

Kelli O’Hara’s (BM ’98, HDHL ’15) performed the opening concert for the McKnight Center for the Performing Arts in Stillwater in October. Her performance in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The King and I” was featured in PBS’ third annual “Broadway’s Best” lineup in November. She was featured in a Q&A in Boston’s The Arts Fuse when she did a local performance in January. This spring, O’Hara headlined the Garden Theatre’s annual Encore gala in Orlando.

Melanie Cox (BPA ’98) was the director/ choreographer of the Boston She Party Ltd. Production of “Follies for Boston.”

The Norman Transcript ran a feature on Nelson Dent (MA Theater ’99), a Pioneer Library System trainer and employee development specialist.

2000s

Tim Trottier (MBA ’00) was named CEO of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho.

Steve Sanders (MM ’02) was a soloist in the Bartlesville Choral Society’s performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”

Tim Hassen (MBA ’02), Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Vice President, was named president of the Association of Independent Research Institutes.

Jeremy Foraker (MBA ’03), president and managing broker of Foraker Company, was a guest speaker at a Rotary Club of Oklahoma City meeting to discuss new developments in the Paseo Arts District.

KGOU featured musician and filmmaker Luke Dick (BA ’03) about his documentary, “Red Dog.” Karilyn Surratt (BPA ’05) booked the national tour of “White Christmas.”

State Sen. Carri Hicks (BA ’05, MLA ’09) was part of a panel discussion at the “Votes for Women in the 21st Century: An Insider Perspective” event at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

Lauralyn McClelland (BPA ’05) was cast in the TV adaptation of the musical “SpongeBob SquarePants,” which aired on Nickelodeon in December.

Peter Simon (JD ’05), director of risk management for Total Safety Consulting, was profiled as the New York Real Estate Journal’s Executive of the Month.

A film scored by Jay Wadley (BM ’05), “I Carry You with Me,” was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Chelsea Shores (BS ’06) was one of the headlining performers in the Duncan Area Arts Hall of Fame Spectacular and Reception in January.

Jonathan Barrett (JD ’06) reunited with his high school band, the Rock Project, to play a benefit show in Mississippi for the Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson’s research effort.

Trae Gray’s (JD/MBA ’06) LandownerFirm, PLLC, was named to the 2020 Best Law Firms in America list by U.S. News & World Report—Best Lawyers in the field of Energy Law in Oklahoma. Gray was also named to the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list in the practice of Energy Law in Oklahoma. He was also named to the 2019 Super Lawyers list.

He first appeared on the Super Lawyer list as a “Rising Star” in 2016.

KALO, featuring Bat-Or Kalo (BM ’06), were studio guests at KFOR for its “Sound Check” series.

Florida International University did a feature story on Carolina Rubio-MacWright (JD ’06), an immigration lawyer and artist who organizes pottery workshops for undocumented immigrants in Brooklyn, New York.

Kat Lozano (BM ’07) was named lead producer for the Lone Star Theatre Company production of “Animal Husbandry” for the New York International Fringe Festival.

Eun-Hee Park (MM ’07), assistant professor of music and head of the keyboard area at the University of Montevallo, performed a piano recital with a flautist in Tennessee and was featured in a story in the Cleveland Daily Banner.

The Belleville News-Democrat in Illinois did a “Know Your Neighbor” feature story about attorney John Hipskind (JD ’08).

Tulsa People ran a feature story about Rachel Cope (BA ’08) and her restaurant, Empire Slice House.

Barbara Klepper (MM ’08, JD ’12) was elected a shareholder of McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma’s largest law firm.

Tommy Jones (BS ’08), a renewable energy projects researcher, was a guest speaker for a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship seminar at the University of Arizona.

The Oklahoman’s business section ran an Executive Q&A series story on Scott Cravens (JD ’09), chief operating officer and a founding principal of Full Sail Capital.

Tristan Bugenis (BA ’09) has added acting to his entertainment credentials, playing as Chaz Meltun in the Amazon Prime television series “Funny Money.” Bugenis continues his full-time work as an independent musician (singer/guitarist) featured in the Tristan Bugenis Band and in the Stargazer Productions band, The After Party.

Spring 2020 31

CLASS NOTES 40 UNDER 40 Attorneys Melanie K. Dittrich (JD ’09), Celeste J. England, Esq. (JD ’12), Kristin D. Meloni (JD ’15), and state House Rep. Collin Robert Walke (JD ’08) were named to the Oklahoma Gazette’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2019 list.

1 Robert Postotnik (BS ’11), creative director for the AKA NYC agency, recently celebrated the Broadway opening for “The Inheritance.”

Postotnik’s work on the show included the art featured on the marquee, playbills, and marketing materials.

1 Robert Duncan (JD ’09) graduated with a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security in California.

Emily (Lloyd) Herman (BA ’09) was named a Walt Disney Legacy Award Recipient. Herman is a production stage manager at Epcot. Inspired

by Walt Disney’s personal example and lasting legacy of excellence as a dreamer, a creator, and an inspiration, the Walt Disney Legacy Award is a global acknowledgment of those who put forth their best efforts for guests, their fellow employees, and the company.

2010s

The Joplin Globe ran a feature story about Desiree Dillon (BM ’10), a cast member in the national tour of Broadway’s “Finding Neverland.”

Chaz Wolcott (BPA ’10) and Tanner Pflueger (BPA ’17) performed in Disney’s “Newsies” musical at Arena Stages in Washington, D.C., in November and December. Wolcott was also invited to take over BroadwayWorld’s Instagram Story account for a day.

Allen Hutson (JD ’10), a partner with the Crowe & Dunlevy law firm and member of the Oklahoma Bar Association board of trustees, was featured as part of The Edmond Sun’s Someone You Should Know series.

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

3 Ashlyn Smith (MBA ’13) became an associate in the Oklahoma City office of GableGotwals law firm.

Jordan Haygood (JD ’13) was sworn in to serve a one-year term as Oklahoma Bar Association Young Lawyers Division chairperson. He was also named the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division chairman.

The American Cancer Society did a feature story about Claire Phillips (BA ’13, BFA ’13), a screen actress who fought breast cancer and is now an advocate for the society and other cancer patients.

Ben Lanham (BPA ’13) was on the national tour of “Hello, Dolly!,” which included a stop at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City.

Zach Morrison (MS ’11) was promoted to senior manager for BKD CPAs & Advisors.

Eryn LeCroy (BM ’14) is starring as Christine in the Broadway production of “Phantom of the Opera.”

Sasha Hutchings (BPA ’11) performed at the OKC Broadway season announcement event at the Civic Center.

Discover Oklahoma aired an episode highlighting Sequoyah State Park near Hulbert, with park naturalist Angelina Stancampiano (BS ’14) prominently featured. The Tulsa World featured Stancampiano and her experience in the Oklahoma Conservation Leadership Academy.

Shana Lewis (MA ’12) was named manager of outreach and programs for the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools.

Isai Molina (JD ’12) was elected a shareholder of McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma’s largest law firm.

Bailey Perkins (BA ’12) became state advocacy and public policy director for the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The Lawton Constitution published a feature on Perkins’ experience as legislative assistant and special projects coordinator for U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn.

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Mary Beth Nelson (BM ’14) starred as Rosina in the Painted Sky Opera’s production of “The Barber of Seville.”

4 Steven D. Powell (BS ’14) was appointed to the Health Policy Committee for the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses for the 2020 term. Duties include providing information to government relations staff and consultants on rehabilitation issues, developing and updating the association’s health policy agenda, and reviewing applications for association scholarship awards.

Patrick McGough (DNP ’15) was named executive director of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, becoming the first nurse to lead the organization.

5 Cody Sivertsen (BA ’16) was named Cooper Middle School (Putnam City Schools, Oklahoma) Teacher of the Year.

“Iapetus,” a short film directed by Eric Kuritz (BFA ’14), was selected for the Oaxaca Film Festival in Mexico. The festival has been named one of the best on the globe by MovieMaker Magazine and has close collaborative ties with the Sundance Film Festival.

Elise Kowalick (BPA ’15) played Kristin in the Signature Theatre production of “A Chorus Line” in Virginia.

Henry Le (MS ’15) was hired as a tax senior for Peters & Chandler P.C.

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Jill Hawkins (MFA ’15) is part of Cameron University’s Visiting Writers Series in Lawton.

2 Katie Wonderly (BME ’15) was named the 2019–20 Teacher of the Year for Putnam City Schools’ Tulakes Elementary School.

Jessie Peltier (BPA ’16) was cast in the first national tour of Disney’s “Frozen” the musical.

Broadway World Arkansas posted a Q&A story with Sarah Hinrichsen (BFA ’16), who is playing Rachel in the national tour of “Escape to Margaritaville.”

Hinrichsen noted that on her first campus visit to OCU, it “just felt like home” and that during her time here, “I had the most incredible acting teachers, the most incredible voice teachers.”

7

Miss Broken Arrow Maggie Bond (BBA ’18) performed at the Annual Salute to Veterans concert in Broken Arrow in November.

The Tulsa World ran a feature story about Angela Martindale (PhD ’18), who formerly lived in a Youth Services of Tulsa facility as a homeless teenager and now teaches nursing at the University of Tulsa.

Sophie Braud (BPA ’18) performed in the Lutcher Theater production of Jimmy Buffet’s “Escape to Margaritaville” in Orange, Texas.

7 Caleb Holmes (BFA ’19) was the Oklahoma Film + Music Office’s Film Artist for 2019. Holmes has produced short films, music videos, and commercials for the past three years. He is currently producing three short films and is working as an accounting clerk for the film “Thirteen Minutes.” After graduating in May, he traveled and worked with the reality TV show “Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings.”

Robert E. Stevens (JD ’19) joined the McAfee & Taft law firm’s Intellectual Property Group.

Jonathan Flores (BS ’19) directed the Sacred Heart High School production of “Beehive: The ’60s Musical” in Salina, Kansas.

Alison Barton (MPAS ’19) joined SSM Health Medical Group’s SSM Health St. Anthony Healthplex.

Miss Colorado Monica Thompson (BM ’17) made the top 15 contestants group at the 2020 Miss America pageant.

6 Amanda Kronhaus (BFA ’19) was named Miss Apopka 2020 in central Florida and will compete for Miss Florida in the summer.

Ashton Parrack (BM ’17) is making her OffBroadway debut as Agent Melody in the FunikiJam production of “Special Mission: Baby Likes to Rock.”

Katelyn M. King (JD ’19) has joined the McAfee & Taft law firm as an associate.

Cassidy Jasperson (BS ’19), coach of the first high school girl’s wrestling team in the state — Broken Arrow — was interviewed for a story by Cox Media’s Yurview headlined “Girls High School Wrestling Exploding in Oklahoma.”

Caroline Baniewicz (BM ’18) played Giselle in the Off-Broadway production of “Lost in the Disco” in November and December.

Michelle McChristian (BM ’18), an assistant producer for Scissortail Media, played the role of Winona Ryder in an episode of “The Price of Fame” on REELZ. Katie Pohlman (BPA ’18) was featured in the Lincoln Journal Star about her return to her native state of Nebraska for touring performances of “Bandstand.”

Tyler Berge (BBA ’19) ran across the U.S. from San Francisco to Boston last summer as part of an Ulman 4K for Cancer relay team.

Khaki A. Scrivner (JD ’19) was named an associate attorney in Crowe & Dunlevy’s Oklahoma City office.

Katie Cooper (DNP ’19) had her project, “Caring for the Mental Health Needs of Gender and Sexual Minorities in Primary Care,” accepted for a poster presentation at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners national conference in New Orleans.

Katie Colclazier (JD ’19) joined the Hartzog Conger Cason law firm.

José D. Cruz (JD ’19) joined the Foshee & Yaffe law firm.

Larry Grizzle (JD ’19) was named an associate at the Elias, Books, Brown & Nelson PC law firm.

Laura Leigh Turner (BM ’19) took over the role of Karen Smith in the Tony-nominated hit “Mean Girls” in March, marking her first Broadway credit.

Justin Hanson (MA ’19) was hired as an officer for the Medina Police Department in Minnesota.

Spring 2020 33

IN MEMORY

John Starkey June 17, 1953–Jan. 11, 2020

John Cameron Muhlenberg Starkey, Millhouse Professor of Theology at Oklahoma City University, died at the age of 66.

Teaching at OCU since 1998, he was involved in numerous campus committees, activities, and service-learning initiatives. His many awards at OCU included the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2006, the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award in 2014–15, the Excellence in Teaching Award for Full-Time Faculty in 2009, and the Distinguished Honors Professor in 2001, 2005, 2008, 2012, and 2019.

Starkey received his B.A. from Fordham University, his M.T.S. from Weston School of Theology, and his Ph.D. from Boston University.

In 1977 he began teaching English at Loyola High School in Towson, Maryland, and then at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine, teaching English, scripture and ethics, and coaching speech and debate from 1982 to 1991. He was a teaching assistant at Boston University’s School of Theology from 1993 to 1997.

He published many articles and book reviews, presented numerous papers at academic conferences, and made countless presentations at churches and retreats.

Known for his wisdom, kindness, understanding, sincerity, unwavering faith, and availability, Starkey inspired students, colleagues, and friends, as evidenced by countless Facebook messages of praise and admiration.

Former students recalled Starkey’s sometimes unorthodox teaching and its impact.

Philip Younts (BA Religion and Youth Ministry ’16) remembered a Starkey workshop in which “we had to come up with songs that began with despair but rose to a message of hope. I’ll never forget him having me sing ‘If Everyone Cared’ in front of the group. I look back and recognize that workshop as the beginning of the shaping of my theology around hope. I remember him handing me back my first paper.

His notes and response to my paper were longer than my actual paper!”

Kristia Oney (BA Religion ’11) addressed her memorial Facebook message to Starkey: “You had such a unique gift in finding ways to draw out each student’s giftedness. Which you did for me when you let me

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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photos by Nash Carey

write a poem as my final project for Bib Lit; when you let me write my senior paper on a topic no one had ever asked about, allowing room for me to write my own story of struggle; and when you let me sing for our final senior paper presentation instead of giving a full speech on it.”

Other former students shared Starkey’s impact on them: Mark Hare (BA Religion ’03) said: “His form of grading and teaching was an invitation into dialogue and growth. He loved process. His notes challenged us. He cultivated change and introspection in people. He saw us all in our best lights and as rough drafts with potential that he was just helping along to the next better iteration.”

Dawson MacLeod said: “Everyone who crossed his path was able to feel this radiance: to be seen and loved, despite—and sometimes because of—our flaws. It often felt like he didn’t simply impact people—he changed the trajectory of people’s lives.”

Memorial gifts may be made to the John Starkey Memorial Scholarship Fund at OCU.

Gen. Jim Wade Feb. 14, 1925–Nov. 20, 2019 Gen. Jim Wade, trustee emeritus to Oklahoma City University, OCU Athletics Hall of Famer, and one of the most prominent benefactors of the athletic department, died Nov. 20, 2019.

Wade competed for Oklahoma City as a baseball, basketball, and football player before attaining the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force.

The Stars hold the annual Jim Wade Awards to celebrate OCU’s athletic accomplishments and recognize Stars who best represent OCU and reflect Wade’s spirit as the student-athletes of the year.

Wade’s contributions helped complete additions and renovations to OCU’s baseball facility—Jim Wade Stadium—as well as at Abe Lemons Arena inside the Freede Center and Brian Harvey Field, the Stars’ soccer facility. He established the Jim Wade Endowment and an endowed scholarship fund.

“Oklahoma City University athletics means so much to me,” Wade once said. “It’s been a great part of my life.”

Wade entered the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 1979 induction class.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1949.

The Los Angeles Rams selected Wade in the 27th round of the 1948 NFL Draft. Wade played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Bulldogs.

Wade was decorated for service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He flew 55 missions in Korea and received many honors. In 2000, he was inducted into the Who’s Who of Oklahoma Military Men & Women. Wade joined the Air Force Reserve full time in the late 1960s. He commanded

Fighter Groups, Military Airlift Groups and Strategic Air Refueling Wings. In 1976, he attained the rank of brigadier general. He last piloted a Boeing 727 at age 78.

The Wade family requests those desiring to commemorate Wade’s memory make a gift in his honor to the Jim Wade Endowment for Athletics. To make a gift, go to okcu.edu/championsclub or call Chris Maxon, OCU associate athletic director for development, at (405) 208-5431.

Billie Louise Spence

Chris Black

March 4, 1929–Sept. 28, 2019

OCt. 12, 1975 — Feb. 25, 2020

Billie Louise Spence was born in Mountain Park, Oklahoma, during the Great Depression in 1929, the eighth of nine children to Joseph Bob and Katherine Alma.

Billie earned a Bachelor of Science in 1981 and an MBA in 1983 from Oklahoma City University. She graduated from Central High School in Oklahoma City in 1946.

In her early years she loved to travel and held jobs in California, Oklahoma, Washington, D.C., New York, and Japan. In her 20s she modeled in New York and Washington, D.C., winning several titles.

In 1958 in Brooklyn, New York, she married Donald E. Spence. They had three children: Bret, Craig, and Scott. They all moved to Oklahoma City in 1964. Billie worked at Liberty National Bank for 22 years and left there to work at Tinker Air Force Base for 11 years until 2001. Billie retired to Florida.

Christopher James Black, 44, passed away in Oklahoma City.

He was born in Oklahoma City to Rex and Cynthia Black.

Chris was a longtime staff member in the Kramer School of Nursing, starting as a graduate and continuing education specialist in 2007 and finishing as director of communications and outreach, leaving in January to embark on a freelance consulting and music career.

His connections to OCU are many. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education in 2000, then an MBA in 2010.

His wife, Carrie, who preceded him in death in September, earned her bachelor’s in 2013 and master’s in 2016. She worked in the Advancement Department from 2017 to 2018. His mother-in-law also worked at OCU in the student affairs division. Surviving are three children—Tessa, Ian, and William—and one grandson, Oliver.

Photo of Gen. Wade by Jay Stevens Spring 2020 35

IN MEMORY

Kurt Leichter

A. David Packman

January 31, 1924 – March 3, 2020

May 22, 1938–Feb. 10, 2020

Kurt Leichter was born in Vienna, Austria, to Bela and Clair Costa Leichter. Clair died in 1936. When Hitler invaded Austria in 1938, the Nazis confiscated the family’s home and gave Bela and Kurt 72 hours to leave the country. Due to closed U.S. immigration quotas, Bela went to London, and 13-year-old Kurt fled to the U.S. by himself.

Through the help of the Oklahoma City women’s Jewish League, Kurt found work as a jewelry apprentice, eventually leading to him and his late wife, Sydney, establishing the leading and fashionable Oklahoma jewelry store Treasures, Inc. in 1957.

After 34 years in business, Kurt retired and began showing his amateur photography internationally.

A philanthropist at heart, Kurt supported educational endeavors at Oklahoma City University, where he was a Trustee Emeritus, and many other colleges. He served on community and church boards, including Habitat for Humanity; was a 32 ½ degree Mason; and belonged to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Edmond.

Kurt lived in Edmond with his wife of 26 years, Cathy, and had one daughter, Larisa Leichter Turner, and son-inlaw, Mike.

Michael Allen Jones Oct. 4, 1958–February 2020 Michael Jones (Music ’77–’81) was a cofounder and the Artistic Associate for Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, guest directed at Stage Center, and acted at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma for seven seasons.

In 1985, he was awarded an Oklahoma Governor’s Arts award for directing a

Rabbi A. David Packman died in Bethesda, Maryland.

Packman had been a spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Israel of Oklahoma City since 1976 and became Rabbi Emeritus in 2004. He was proud to be an adjunct faculty member at Oklahoma City University. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the oldest son of Dr. Martin and Thelma Packman.

Packman served Temple B’nai Israel as a teacher, scholar, and inspirational leader. He taught children and adults and worked closely with those who chose Judaism as their life’s path. Rabbi Packman was active in organizations that focused on fostering interfaith relations, forging stronger ties between the Jewish and African American communities and advocating for marginalized communities and individuals. He was intensely curious and he was a source of knowledge on all subjects.

The world community became aware of Rabbi Packman’s oratorical gifts when he spoke at the memorial service held at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds immediately after the Murrah Building bombing. His words stirred the wounded city and helped to foster healing in the nation and world.

production of James McLure’s Lone Star, which was named the U.S. representative at the 1985 World Festival of Theatre in Monaco. In 1997 he won an Emmy Award for his work as Executive Producer of Portland, Oregon’s Telethon for the Animals.

As an actor, he appeared regionally at playhouses in California, Ohio, Washington, Texas, Oregon, and Alabama. Some of Jones’ favorite roles included The Governor in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Lord Abe in Pacific Overtures; and Parchester in Me And My Girl. He served as the Artistic Director of

Portland Civic Theatre.

He acted in many roles and directed many productions for City Rep, which is planning a memorial service for Saturday, June 20 in the Freede Little Theatre at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall. More details will be posted when available at okcrep.org.

Our Condolences 1940s James L. Wade (’49) 1950s James B. Ford (’50) Richard F. McDivitt (’50) Tom R. Webb (’54) Richard F. Ellis (’54) Lucy P. Shank (’54)

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Robert W. Cassidy (’55) Charles D. Saviers (’56) Carolann F. Martin (’57) David Ward (’59) 1960s Beverly Hurd (’60) Herman E. Huffhines (’67) Buster G. Jones (’68)

Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine

1970s George H. Williams (’74) Norma D. Mantooth (’77) 1980s Billie L. Spence (’82) Glenda K. Oleinick (’83) 1990s Theron L. Vanlandingham (’90)

Benny R. McReynolds (’91) Christy L. Summers (’91) Gloria J. Rybka (’94) Sara P. Morris (’99) 2000s Christopher J. Black (’00) Lucas C. Stapleton (’12) Carrie J. Black (’13)

C R E AT I V E O C U

Autumn Days

BY J O HN DI XO N OCU Graduate Student, The Red Earth MFA in Creative Writing

T H E B L A C K - B R I C K E D C H A P E L at the end of the lane held a bell in its belfry that rang at noon on Wednesdays and twice a day on Sundays. The memory of that bell brings me back. Clover that grew in autumn dew and brown mud that peeked through the dying grass.

Fifty degree weather—Fahrenheit, of course, the only proper way to tell temperature—and skies overcast like dim blue fields lined with gray puffs that stretched on forever. There was always something magical about autumn in those days. Whether it was the promise of a new school year beginning or the fact that Oklahoma just quit looking like a sunsoaked green wasteland I never was sure. Maybe I felt like I was back home in the old country, home of my ancestors.

But memories keep like stale jars in a fridge. We try to preserve them, keep them fresh as long as we can before decay sets in.

All that we have when we try to open them are odors, fragments of something that once was multi-layered. A sheen of anger over being rejected. A pall of sadness over a forgotten conversation. All these complex memories reduced to feelings, single-key notes.

Then again there are some memories so off-putting that we store them away, freeze them, try to get rid of them forever. We can remember all too well the intricate taste of pain, the sounds of agony, the feeling of despair. We bottle it up to keep it hidden.

We try to forget about it, to hope it will fade, but it never was anything appetizing. Rot doesn’t get to set in, because it’s already putrefied at heart.

Amidst the clover and the mud and the blue-tinged sky I remembered something else: the naked branches of the oaks behind

the belfry twisting up into the pallid sky like the devil’s hands.

I would not go back there for many years, not until my father slept the sleep eternal.

Time passed and as I grew older, the world moved on. The church was demolished. The house in which we lived was torn down. Bittersweet my memories; but still the ruinous cadaver claws of those ancient trees stark against the horizon, tearing and clawing at the sunset, unwilling to let the sun go without a fight …

I was raised in the city, of course. The untamed majesty of nature, the realness of it, never imparted its terrible wisdom on me as a youth. Though the land was mine in memory, on paper, I could feel that it was not mine in spirit. The land here owned itself, as wilderness does. It crept forth from

its origins, roots ever-twisting, seeding naked earth and giving birth to countless creatures of the wild, devouring back which it belched in its own time. Humanity had done a good job at an attempt to control it—hacking it back, slicing it, destroying it.

Paving roads so that human feet could cross and crafting buildings so mankind could sleep well in the knowledge that, for now at least, they were protected.

Perhaps, I thought, the day of the funeral.

Perhaps this is why man is so wicked to the earth. Because they know, deep down inside, that in the end when Humanity is done, nature will roll over them with its verdant greens and countless weeds and grasses and swallow what they accomplished back into itself, into the dirt.

I watched them scoop shovelful of soil, hand over hand, onto his casket, and watched the sun sink into the bony grasp of the forest, an autumn day so long away from my youth.

ART: “C LOU D S D ESCE N D” BY ST U D E N T C LAIRE P OL I C E, T HEAT R E DES I G N & PR O DUC T I O N S EN I O R Spring 2020 37

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