The Elite 50: An issue dedicated to the College’s 50 Distinguished Alumni whose successful careers started at OSU. A Q&A with Dean Peter M.A. Sherwood | page ii Centers Create New Partnerships, Knowledge | page 14 Alumni Album | page 24 oklahoma state university • 2009 College of Arts & Sciences
To Our Alumni In every issue of the College of Arts and Sciences alumni magazine, I write a letter to our many alumni and friends. My challenge is to draft an insightful letter that motivates and encourages. This year I thought we’d try a new approach. In this issue, I will address three questions regarding our centers, featured on pages 14–20. The college is home to nine centers focused on interdisciplinary activities and six interdisciplinary programs. Many of the most exciting new developments occur at the interface between different disciplines, and the centers provide a means to bring together a group of faculty with complementary skills to tackle exciting new areas. Most of the centers include both an undergraduate and graduate student component. The college plans a new “front office” for these centers on the first floor of Life Sciences East in 2011. and Friends, Q. What excites you most about the centers? Shortly after I came to OSU as dean, I encouraged faculty across the college to submit proposals for new centers. I was delighted by the response, and it was a tough task to select the initial group of centers for seed funding. I am excited that our faculty have come together to form centers that embrace new areas where OSU can be in a strong leadership position. These areas include the fine arts, humanities, social sciences and the sciences. Some of our centers have been around for many years, such as the very successful Cimarron Review, which in 2007 celebrated its 40th birthday. Others such as the Center for Oklahoma Studies and the Doel Reed Center are very recent. While our centers reside in the college, its role as the intellectual core of the university has meant that faculty and students from other colleges have been welcomed. Q. One of the newest centers in the college is the Center for Oklahoma Studies, which has real potential in reaching alumni and parents of future students. What does this mean for new students? Oklahoma has a unique history, and the Center for Oklahoma Studies will not only play an important role in researching and documenting this history and culture but also in contributing to the development of a creative vision for the state’s future. The core faculty consists of two senior members from the college and one from the library. We anticipate other faculty with an Oklahoma interest to become involved in the center that will become the link for all Oklahoma-related activities. We are working to establish Oklahoma support for students, especially graduate students working toward a Ph.D. degree. Q. What are the benefits of the centers to students, faculty or alumni? The centers are poised to place Oklahoma in a leadership position in a number of important areas. I am delighted by the support the centers have received from federal and state agencies, corporations and donors. The support of our alumni has been key to developing the centers. For example, the Doel Reed Center has become a reality because of the generous support of our alumni and friends. The centers have provided faculty with new research opportunities and collaborations. Our students have received opportunities in very diverse areas, such as helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina, learning how we can minimize the effects of future natural disasters, studying about exciting fields of art in beautiful Taos, N.M., understanding the operations of literary journals, and appreciating the importance of peer-reviewed journals in disseminating academic research. The centers represent an important developing area in college activities, providing additional opportunities to partner with alumni and an important vehicle for enhancing the college and OSU. Thank you for encouraging our growth and providing us with opportunities. Your support and enthusiasm play a pivotal role in serving the college, Oklahoma State University and our state. Peter M.A. Sherwood, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Message College of Arts and Sciences
Alumnus and master printer Bill Goldston went to work for Universal Limited Art Editions in 1969. Arts and Sciences Magazine is a publication of the Oklahoma State University College of Arts and Sciences. All communications should be mailed to OSU College of Arts and Sciences, ATTN: Arts and Sciences Magazine, 205 Life Sciences East, Stillwater, OK 74078-3015. Oklahoma State University in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. Title IX of the Education Amendments and Oklahoma State University policy prohibit discrimination in the provision of services of benefits offered by the University based on gender. Any person (student, faculty or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based upon gender may discuss their concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with the OSU Title IX Coordinator, Director of Affirmative Action, 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, 405-744-5371 or 405-744-5576 (fax). This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the College of Arts & Sciences, was printed by University Printing Services at a cost of $5430.00/7M. #2765 09/09 © 2009 Oklahoma State University College of Arts & Sciences .2009 V11 Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Peter M.A. Sherwood Media and Alumni Relations College of Arts and Sciences Lorene Roberson Hickey ’84* Editor Eileen Mustain Art Director Paul V. Fleming ’90, ’00 Associate Editor Janet Varnum Writers Matt Elliott Lorene Roberson Hickey ’84 Maggie Kierl Jacob Longan ’05 Sylvia E. King-Cohen ’81 Eileen Mustain Stacy Pettit ’09 Cori Urrutia ’09 Photographers Phil Shockley Gary Lawson cas.okstate.edu On The CoveR: The cover honors the college’s distinguished alumni, Rhonda Hooper, left (read more on page 8); Ira Scott, right (read more on page 6); and Robert Purcell, a 1957 chemistry graduate and co-chief of the laboratory of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Purcell, who played a major role in the development of all five hepatitis vaccines, accepted the distinguished alumnus award at the college’s honor banquet in April. The photos of Hooper and Purcell are by Phil Shockley, and the photo of Scott is by Diana Porter. * Year indicates OSU College of Arts and Sciences graduates. 2 Excelling in many worlds The 50 alumni who have received the college’s highest honor shine in their chosen careers. 10 Making the future brighter Alumni gifts support student success and elevate expectations and standards. 14 Achievement at the center College centers promote multidisciplinary research, build new collaborations and create new opportunities. 21 Educators of distinction Arts and Sciences Regents Professors model determination, commitment and joy of learning. 24 Remember when In revisiting old memories, alumni make new ones. departments 2 Alumni 10 Development 14 College News 21 Faculty News 24 Alumni Album 28 Memorials
Head of the Class One strives for peace in third world conflicts. Another works with some of the world’s most influential artists while yet another lays inroads for women in marketing. Although their lives are very different, each thrived at OSU and in the careers that followed. They are members of an elite group of 50 alumni who have received the College of Arts and Sciences’ highest honor — A&S Distinguished Alumni. Here are a few stories of their travels along the creative paths they have chosen. College of Arts and Sciences 2 College of Arts and Sciences alumni OSU College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni and Friends 1975 to present Robert B. Kamm – 1975 William R. Pogue – 1975 Schiller Scroggs – 1975 Otto M. Miller – 1976 Paul Miller – 1976 Valerie Colvin – 1977 M.B. Seretean – 1977 William P. Hytche – 1978 Paul N. McDaniel – 1978 Earl Richert - 1978 George A, Moore – 1979 William T. Payne – 1979 Clyde A. Wheeler Jr. – 1979 T. Boone Pickens – 1980 A.J. Vlitos – 1980 Danny H. Conklin – 1989 Jay Daniel – 1989 Bill C. Goldston – 1989 Wayman R. Spence – 1989 Herbert G. Davis – 1990 Donald F. Ferrell – 1990 Eugene W. Jackson – 1990 Robert D. King – 1990 Jenk Jones Jr. – 1991 David L. Jorns – 1991 Robert E. Webster – 1991 Gene R. Nichol Jr. – 1993 Thomas E. Bennett Jr. – 1994 L.E. “Dean” Stringer – 1994 Cynthia Round – 1995 Brooks Mitchell – 1996 Helen L. Newman – 1996 John Niblack – 1997 Jean Clinton – 1998 Blaine Greteman – 1998 J.B. and Richard E. Bailey – 1999 Myron C. Ledbetter – 2000 James M. Whiteneck - 2000 Robert J. Baker – 2001 Karen N. Keith – 2001 Jan Riggs Cloyde – 2002 Rhonda Hooper – 2003 Robertson Work – 2003 Charles F. Dambach – 2004 Michael T. Ryan – 2005 Keith McGlamery – 2006 Ira B. Scott Jr. – 2007 Richard T. Jennings – 2008 Robert Purcell – 2009
Bold words to say, especially to J. Jay McVicker who was then head of the art department. McVicker phoned the dean of arts and sciences and arranged Goldston’s transfer from engineering to fine arts. Goldston graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota where he was a studio assistant in lithography to master printer Zigmunds Priede, who has worked with now legendary artists including Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, James Rosenquist, Helen Frankenthaler and Jim Dine. The Vietnam War altered Goldston’s plans a year later. “I was drafted and didn’t receive a deferment,” Goldston says. After the military he returned to graduate school. “I walked in the door and Zig asked me if I wanted to go to New York. I commuted back and forth between Minneapolis and New York while I finished graduate school.” Fancy doings for a man who grew up hunting rabbits, ducks, squirrel and other wildlife for dinner, herded cattle, hauled hay, slopped hogs, plucked chickens, drove big trucks and lived the life of Oklahoma farm boys in the 1950s and 1960s. That meant muscled arms and callused hands. It may have been those workman’s hands that endeared him to Tatyana Grosman, who founded Universal Limited Art Editions in 1957. The company makes original limitededition lithographs. Goldston credits Grosman, who started the business with little money and no help, with rekindling the art of lithography in the United States. Goldston tells of the day that Grosman became his mentor. She had prepared lunch for the staff, a common occurrence at the tight-knit business. Goldston, in the middle of a project, continued to work, unaware she was watching. Impressed with his attention to detail she said, “ ‘Bill, you have it, you really have it,’” Goldston remembers. “After that, she pestered me all the time with ‘Let me show you how to do this, let me show you how to do that.’” continues next page Oklahoma State university 3 The Art Experience Bill C. Goldston Distinguished Alumnus 1989 ’66 Art When you talk to Bill Goldston, it is clear that his passion is art. Hard to imagine that art was his fallback plan. Really. Goldston, who lives in Oyster Bay, N.Y., started his career at Oklahoma State University as a mechanical engineering major. “My father had an auto repair shop,” Goldston says, “so I thought I could be a mechanical engineer. They had a good engineering program. I started in the fall of 1961. I hated it. I suffered through the first two years.” After those two years, dismissed for low grades, Goldston sought out the art department, which was then an adjunct to the architecture department and housed in Whitehurst Hall. “I saw all these drawings on the wall,” he says. “I walked into the office and told the man at the desk ‘I want to be an artist.’ ”
This impromptu relationship eventually led her to leave the business in his capable hands. Goldston eventually convinced Grosman to use the offset press to produce more lucrative high-quality posters and books in addition to the company’s limited editions. Among those artists who took to the process were Johns, who used it to complete “Decoy” in 1971. Dine’s “Flaubert’s Favorites” and Rosenquist’s “Off the Continental Divide” also were printed on the press. Goldston, who counts Dine, Sam Francis, Buckminster Fuller, Enrique Chagoya and Jane Hammond among the artists he has worked closely with and called friends, believes in giving artistic opportunities to other OSU students. Each year for 23 years the company, which has a staff of 10, sponsors three art students for internships. The company pays for room and board, transportation and all other expenses, Goldston says. “It’s not just about the internship. It’s the exposure to art. While here, they can go to the Metropolitan, the Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art, The Frick and the Whitney Museum,” he says. “It’s important that Oklahomans come to New York City or other artistic meccas and experience the art for themselves.” Despite his parents’ hardscrabble educational background — his father was illiterate and his mother only finished the eighth grade — art was an integral part of Goldston’s life. “My mother insisted we study something to do with the arts when we were in school,” says Goldston, who talks of having only one book in the house — written by Western novelist Zane Grey — most of his growing up years. “She didn’t know much about fine arts, so it is hard to say why she pushed us toward the arts. “When I was growing up, I remember that my mother bought a set of encyclopedias from a garage sale,” says Goldston, who laughingly remembers, “They were already old when she bought them.” Even outdated, they offered Goldston a glimpse into a world that he now is trying to expose other Oklahomans to, one OSU student at a time. He considers art a connection to the soul and mind of another. Goldston says Buckminster Fuller, “Bucky,” taught him that people live on in our memories, our thoughts and our hearts. As long as we remember them, they are still here. “My mother is in my blood, the very fiber of my being,” he says. “My father’s blood is my blood. He is in the fiber of my being. The soul of a person is in you.” Sylvia E. King-Cohen ’81 Photos Provided College of Arts and Sciences 4 Bill Goldston was the first printer to dedicate himself to intensive technical experimentation at Universal Limited Art Editions in Long Island, N.Y. In the late 1970s, Goldston assumed responsibility for the business purchasing different and larger presses, establishing additional studios, hiring more printers and inviting a new group of young artists to work at the studio. Today ULAE’s archives (above) include works by legendary artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg and architect R. Buckminster Fuller. alumni
“Being exposed to a much larger world and the way others live, I learned about how to enjoy life. If they had enough food to eat, they were happy,” he says. “After doing that, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life other than serving.” After returning to OSU to pursue a master’s degree, Dambach began a consulting firm with speech professor and debate coach Dale Stockton. “He included me in a group of students who would stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning just talking,” Dambach says. “He was my Socrates — he would pose a question, I’d give an answer, and he’d say it wasn’t good enough. We’d dig deeper and deeper.” In 1970, when waiting at the airport to pick up Stockton, who was returning from a debate tournament in Dallas, Dambach learned that an unknown assailant had murdered Stockton in his motel room. “Much of my life has been dedicated to the memory of Dale Stockton,” Dambach says. As president of the National Peace Corps Association, Dambach focused his attention on the news coming from Rwanda in 1994. Dambach, outraged at the lack of response from the international community, worked to mobilize about 30 former Peace Corps volunteers who had previously served in Rwanda to help with the immediate stabilization process after the genocide. “The importance and value of that program led us to believe maybe we can do some other pretty special things where there is a need,” he says. When war broke out between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Dambach and California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi created another team of former Peace Corps volunteers that became the primary voice of communication between the prime minister of Ethiopia and the president of Eritrea. On the phone, Eritrea’s President Isayas Afwerki made one last concession to end the war. Dambach took a cab to the Ethiopian embassy to deliver the news. “A couple of weeks later, the prime minister of Ethiopia was in Washington and invited us to breakfast,” Dambach says. “I’ll never forget it — at breakfast, he leaned forward and said, ‘I want you to know the war’s over, and I want to thank you for making it happen.’” Today, Dambach is CEO and president of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, which works with organizations, government leaders and professionals to help build peace worldwide. He says his passion to help will never be extinguished. “It is pure luck of the draw that we are born in America,” he says. “We didn’t earn it. Let’s help people so that they can have a small portion of the comfort that we have.” Stacy M. Pettit ’09 photo / Genesee Photo Systems During the 1960s, studying speech communications at OSU, Charles F. “Chic” Dambach did not know he would later visit 55 countries and help negotiate peace for quarrelling countries. He did not foresee caring for the broken and helpless left behind after the Rwanda genocide. Instead, Dambach focused on causing some trouble at OSU. “Any time there was a demonstration, other students would call me to organize it,” he says, “civil rights and anti-war protests — anything that would stir up trouble.” In fact, Dambach says he helped arrange an anti-war demonstration that resulted in the university cancelling classes for the rest of the day. Decades later, when some of the students reunited, Dambach learned that many of those who went to protest the Vietnam War at New York’s Columbia University or the University of California, Berkeley, found it boring because everyone was doing it. “They told me that doing it in Oklahoma took more courage,” he says. After graduating, Dambach joined the Peace Corps and volunteered in Colombia, sparking his life of service into motion. photo by Genesee Photo Systems Oklahoma State university 5 Charles F. Dambach Distinguished Alumnus 2004 ’67 Speech Peace First
“The College of Arts and Sciences is so diverse — there are so many different disciplines,” Scott says. “Those changes helped me identify where I needed to land. “After college, that thought process helped me throughout my career.” Scott has learned to master many different subjects, including finance, computer technology and engineering. This ability to understand diverse subjects has helped Scott land jobs ranging from being a business consultant to working for a large engineering firm. Scott also found himself to be a driving force behind political campaigns in Houston. Scott did fundraising and campaigning for his friend Lee Brown, who became the first African American mayor of Houston in 1997. “Anyone who would let me talk, I would let them know about Lee Brown,” Scott says. Scott also helped to bring a different newcomer to the city of Houston. While serving as vice president for the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, Scott assisted in breaking ground for light rail transit, a public transportation rail system. With all these accomplishments, Scott promised never to forget his roots — and even managed to help expand those for future OSU graduates. Scott served as the Houston chapter president of the OSU Alumni Association and was a member of the national alumni board. He was an active recruiter in the Houston area of high school students and student athletes to attend OSU, and he recruited many OSU graduates for employment with Exxon. But Scott felt something was missing. “In Houston, I looked around and didn’t see any African Americans or other minorities really participating,” he says. “I talked with a number of people, and we started cranking out ideas.” One of these ideas was to create OSU’s first Black Alumni Association. Scott quickly became a founding member and the first president for the group, which exists today. Today, Scott is “trying to be retired” and enjoys traveling, fishing and exercising. The time he finds to exercise is precious to him and pays off. He says that even after graduating more than 40 years ago, he still hasn’t lost his basketball skills on the court. Stacy M. Pettit ’09 Swipe Card Fuels Alumnus’ Dreams “While it wasn’t an original idea, it was a real novel one — using computer technology,” Scott says. “The technology was out there. As I did presentations across the country, I worked to push it forward.” Pushing forward has been a recurring theme in Scott’s life. While studying at OSU, Scott was a part of the championshipwinning basketball team playing under legendary coach Henry Iba. “He was very demanding but really taught me about teamwork and agility,” Scott says. “As I was playing basketball, I had my books up too.” Those books ranged from physics books to statistics books, but Scott decided to study mathematics, earning his degree in 1967. Swipe. It’s one quick motion at the gas station and the customer is ready to remove the gas cap, refuel the car and return to the traffic-filled street. Within the past few years, Americans have learned to use their plastic debit or credit cards to save precious time at the gas station. One OSU alumnus was at the forefront of this pay-at-thepump invention. While working for Exxon, Ira Scott put together a team to drive this idea toward becoming a reality. photo by Diana Porter College of Arts and Sciences 6 alumni Ira B. Scott Distinguished Alumnus 2007 ’67 Mathematics
Round, who has been with United Way since 2002, is executive vice president of brand leadership for the worldwide not-for-profit organization. Managing a staff of nearly two dozen, she’s responsible for United Way’s brand stewardship, marketing — advertising, public relations, corporate sponsorship — and field communications in 45 countries. Those who know her well aren’t surprised at Round’s success and the pioneering spirit of the former OSU Top 10 Freshman Woman. In the 1970s, she was among 30 women to have a brand management position at Procter and Gamble, where she worked for seven years. She was the first American woman to request and receive an overseas brand management assignment. “I was sent to Procter and Gamble Italia in Rome to launch Pampers in that market. No women had been sent abroad from P&G headquarters before 1980,” she says. Round, named Distinguished Alum in 1995, is a former senior partner and executive group director for Ogilvy & Mather Advertising. During her 15 years with O&M New York, she helped create, build and renovate domestic and global brands for clients that included General Foods, AT&T, Unilever, Maidenform, Pepperidge Farms, Kimberly Clark and U.S. Satellite Broadcasting. “I suppose back then I was breaking through barriers,” says Round, a member of Chi Omega Sorority who also can count being Outstanding Greek Woman among the accolades during her time in Stillwater. “Now it is all very normal. At the time, I was lucky. But I also think you create your own luck. When opportunity crosses your path, you have to be ready to jump on it. I believe you have to live expecting opportunities to come your way. “You also have to be willing to see the hidden opportunities in times of adversity,” she says, mentioning the way Americans pulled together after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “I love that today’s college kids are eager to spend their spring break helping rebuild homes in New Orleans,” Round says. “This generation of young people is very connected to their fellow human beings in need. It is exciting to be in a career that helps them act on that impulse.” Round, who is a firm believer in giving back, shares this philosophy with OSU students whose paths she crosses thanks to a program that brings 20 to 30 business majors to New York City each year for a visit to the Stock Exchange, Madison Avenue and other business meccas. The program is especially dear to Round’s heart because she believes the opportunity to travel and experience other people, ideas and cultures is an advantage no matter what one’s degree. “I love Oklahoma, and I’m proud to be an OSU grad,” she says. “My experience in Stillwater helped shape my outlook and gave me a healthy perspective.” Round has many. She commutes to Washington, D.C., weekly for work and travels internationally for her job. She also is a guest lecturer on global branding and advertising at campuses across the country and volunteers for the board of the Advertising Educational Foundation, the Ad Council’s Advisory Committee and God’s Love We Deliver. She is chair of the 2009 American Marketing Association Non-Profit conference in Chicago. “I’d say my OSU speech communications degree has served me well,” she says. Sylvia E. King-Cohen ’81 Creating Your Own Luck If you’re a math major, it’s a good bet you’ll spend the day in the company of numbers. If you’re studying veterinary medicine, you’ll probably get a chance to talk with the animals. It is doubtful when Cynthia Round graduated from OSU in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in speech that she envisioned herself traveling around the world. “It is the kind of degree where you are qualified for nothing or everything,” says Round, who can’t imagine living any place else but Manhattan, N.Y. Oklahoma State university 7 Cynthia L. Round Distinguished Alumna 1995 ’75 Speech Photo provided
OSU taught Rhonda Hooper many things about marketing and advertising. How to relate concepts and ideas. How to get people’s attention. It also taught her a great deal about herself. However, Bonaparte’s, a smoky bar in the corner of Shepherd Mall in Oklahoma City that catered to law students, showed her how to listen, says Hooper, now CEO of Jordan Associates in the city. The former journalism major bartended there for several months between graduation in 1978 and her first advertising job at Ackerman & McQueen. Bonaparte’s, which closed years ago, taught her the service business. It gave her a greater empathy for people’s problems and frustrations and the way they think. Today, in her third year leading Jordan Associates, Hooper says those skills have been invaluable as she steers the advertising firm through new media, new ideas and new trials. “My job is about actively listening to clients and consumers as well as figuring out how to solve their problems,” she says. A little horizon broadening doesn’t hurt either. For her, that started at OSU in 1974 when she decided to focus on advertising and hasn’t looked back since. Thirty years later, she’s only the third Jordan Associates CEO in its 48-year history, ascending to the position in 2006 after 20 years working for the company. It’s one of the largest firms in the Southwest working with notable clients — ONEOK, Kraft Foods, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cellular One, Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr., Stetson and the American Dental Association. Now it’s enduring one of the most difficult economic times in history, but Jordan Associates has persevered, says Hooper. That’s because of marketing 101. Cutbacks by the competition leave openings for smart marketers to step in and take advantage of low advertising rates or previously owned premium sponsorships to strengthen their voice in the marketplace. “A recession is the best time to build a brand and market share,” she says. “When others are cutting back, you can get more for less, so we’ve been very resourceful for our clients in identifying and seizing opportunities.” Hooper says her preparation at OSU has helped her weather other market conditions and the latest in communication crazes. “I’m a loyal Cowboy,” she says. “OSU provided me a secure and nurturing environment in which to think differently, to be engaged, to be involved and to make a difference. It didn’t matter your background, who you knew, or your financial means.” Her strong belief in OSU led her to become a Cowgirl ambassador to alumni all over the country as the national president of the OSU Alumni Association in 2001. Hooper chairs the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Commission and serves on the executive committees of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Oklahoma as well as the regional board of governors of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. She still sees the benefits of that little bit of listening education she received in the shopping mall bar. “I find that prospective employees are better at grasping how our agency delivers smarter ideas, results and customer satisfaction if they have had real-world internships with creative companies or if they’ve worked in restaurants or other service industries. And if they’ve graduated from OSU, that makes them even better.” Matt Elliott College of Arts and Sciences 8 alumni Broader Horizons Photo by Phil Shockley Rhonda F. Hooper Distinguished Alumnus 2003 ’78 Journalism, Advertising
Now, armed with a master’s degree from Oxford and a doctorate from Berkeley, he gets to teach literature, a job that equates to pure pleasure for him. He also relishes his role as an educator and an encourager to his students, many of whom come from small towns similar to Hydro. He says Oklahomans seem to have an inborn self-deprecating nature that keeps them admirably humble, but may hold them back. One day in class, his students laughed at him when he suggested they could do work on par with elite students at Ivy League schools. “Coming back, for me, confirmed what I had been telling people for a long time about OSU — that the students here are just as good as the students anywhere. They have the ability to achieve on the same level as the top students from the Ivy League schools or any of those sorts of places. That’s the line that I’ve been giving everybody for years and years.” Greteman’s desk could be a metaphor for his numerous responsibilities. Paintings from his son Finn hang over it. A tape recorder for his freelancing work with the magazine Ode sets next to the phone. Books are marked and dog-eared. A cell phone rings several times. Discussion continues from his days in London as a TIME journalist covering events leading up to the Iraq war to the British relationship between government and the media. In League with the Best Blaine Greteman becomes animated when he talks about literature, history, politics or his poor wife and four kids temporarily crammed into their Stillwater apartment. No matter the subject, he fidgets, squirms and adjusts the sport coat on the back of his chair as he talks, raising his voice for emphasis inside his office, perched in a dark corner of Morrill Hall’s third floor. His love of literature, he says, started when he was a kid growing up in Hydro, a town of about 1,000 along Route 66 in western Oklahoma. “One of the first books that I really fell in love with was The Grapes of Wrath. One of the towns the Joads go through is Hydro,” he says. “Often, you sort of discover yourself and your history in a book like that … that’s an amazing experience.” Greteman, who won a Rhodes Scholarship in 1998, also loves his alma mater and its staff, who gave him a scholarship that allowed him to study without student loans. After graduating in 1998, he became the youngest to be named a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Arts and Sciences, a fact which astounds him today because, he says, he knows of many peers who were better students than he. He marvels at how he ended up back at OSU, even though he’s leaving in the fall for a position at the University of Iowa, where he’ll be teaching students from the renowned Writers’ Workshop. “Oklahoma is home and it always has a way of bringing you back,” Greteman says. He came to OSU after finishing his doctoral degree in 2008. He had left TIME some years before to be policy director for Oklahoma senatorial candidate Brad Carson. Leaving OSU for Iowa was a difficult decision for him, but he realizes he does his best work under duress in new foreign places that ratchet up his stimulation and observational skills. He says that’s part of what OSU did for him when he was an undergraduate. “Also, I think part of me realizes I just have this kind of wanderlust,” Greteman says. Matt Elliott Photo by Gary Lawson Oklahoma State university 9 Blaine Greteman Distinguished Alumnus 1998 ’98 English alumni
Investing in the Future Sadie Stockdale is racking up some impressive accomplishments at OSU. She is president of the Arts and Sciences Student Council, a Truman Scholar nominee, vice president of the Political Honor Society, former president of the Pre-Law Club, a Top Ten Freshman and the Top Greek Sophomore and Junior. The political science senior expects to earn her degree in May with a minor in gerontology. She then plans to attend law school, followed by a career helping the elderly with cases of abuse, neglect and Social Security claims. By all accounts, Stockdale is the type of student OSU and Arts and Sciences wants to attract, but she would not have come to Stillwater from Springfield, Mo., without the scholarships she receives. Among those are the A.R. Bert and Anne Larason President’s Distinguished Scholarship endowed by the late Margaret Larason; a nonresident achievement scholarship that covers out-of-state tuition; and a Fourjay Foundation Scholarship. She is also a Wentz Scholar. “OSU has offered me great scholarships,” Stockdale says. “The people here are so generous and friendly. I can’t even express how grateful I am to the school for giving me all they have.” Not only did the scholarships attract her to Stillwater, but they also have been vital to her success here. “I only have to work one job, which the university helped me find in the Honors College,” Stockdale says. “That has given me time to sit down and focus on my studies. It’s definitely made me into the person I’m going to be.” Her accomplishments now are an investment in her future, as is her debt-free education. For Stockdale, that is especially important because she knows she will have to take on debt to pay for her law degree. But her benefits thus far will ultimately be OSU’s gain — she plans to return the favor to her alma mater. “I’m going to give back to the school,” Stockdale says. “I want to help kids, out-of-state especially, come to the school I love.” Photo by Chris Lewis College of Arts and Sciences 10 development
Every Gift Makes a Difference Amy Martindale, director of student academic services in the College of Arts and Sciences, says the college is grateful to have the scholarships it does thanks to donors. Still, with about 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students, more student support of any amount is always appreciated. Martindale says one of the main reasons students leave a university is because of the financial burden. “We know that aid for their returning years is very important in keeping them,” she says. “Substantially more funding is typically available for incoming freshmen than for sophomores, juniors and seniors. That is an area of need and tremendous opportunity to support students in a truly meaningful way.” The cost of higher education continues to rise, as does the need for a college degree in order to be competitive in the marketplace. Charlie Bruce, senior director of scholarships and financial aid for OSU, says the number of students applying for financial aid increased 20 percent in the past year. “The need is great,” Bruce says. “We are having more students report to us that there have been significant decreases in their family income due to job loss or reduction in hours. Scholarships go a long way in helping to fill the gap.” Students Benefit from More Than Scholarships Alone Scholarships are not the only area where donors are making a difference for A&S students. Donors also help with graduate fellowships, travel-abroad opportunities and other student enrichment activities such as mentoring and guest speakers. As Martindale points out, every gift helps support students’ work toward their educational goals. “It’s a very selfless thing to give money to help somebody you may never meet, but it really does impact their lives,” Stockdale says. “The people you help are going to impact the world, and it impacts their future careers because you gave them money, because you were a selfless donor.” Jacob Longan ’05 The College of Arts and Sciences has introduced a new website that recognizes excellence among its many faculty, students and alumni. To learn about honors and scholarships awarded, visit http://ashonors.okstate.edu. Oklahoma State university 11 OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | 400 S. Monroe | Stillwater, OK | 1.800.622.4678 here to help Jason Caniglia and Damien Williams are in the dream business. As development officers for the College of Arts and Sciences, they unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence. If you see a need or are looking for a way to help improve the College, let them know. They will help you transform OSU, as they have done countless times, facilitating the addition of scholarships, endowed chairs and professorships, graduate fellowships, and other studentenrichment opportunities that change lives. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEM AT: jcaniglia@OSUgiving.com, dwilliams@OSUgiving.com or 1-800-622-4678. » jason caniglia » damien williams
Last summer, when the OSU Foundation raised funds in 40 days to endow more than 175 chairs and professorships, the College of Arts and Sciences was one of the big winners. That historic achievement included securing funds for nine chairs and professorships for the college, bringing its total to 24. Endowed professorships and chairs provide support for faculty salaries, graduate assistantships, equipment and other research needs. These endowed faculty positions allow a university to attract and retain the best and brightest academic minds in the world. But these gifts do even more. They help the college maintain certain ideals important to its students, alumni and constituents. Alumni Provide Gifts of Hope, Integrity Professional Integrity Tulsa residents Bill and Peggy Welch, 1973 journalism alumna, donated $250,000 to establish a sports journalism chair in the School of Journalism and Broadcasting. Matched by Boone Pickens, the Regents and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, the gift’s impact is $1.5 million in endowed funds. The couple gave the gift to honor a friend, sports writer B.A. Bridgewater, and to teach quality sports reporting and writing as exemplified by the writing of Bridgewater and his protégé, Bill Connors, both of whom worked for the Tulsa World. “These two individuals were contemporaries of writers Red Smith, Bob Considine, John R. Tunis, Grantland Rice, Jim Murray, Harold Keith, John Cronley and others who set the gold standard of reporting honestly and accurately without abusing the enormous power that goes with sports reporting, sports writing and commenting,” says Bill Welch. College of Arts and Sciences 12 development
Hope Vaughn O. Vennerberg II, a 1976 psychology alumnus and president of XTO Energy Inc. of Fort Worth, and his company teamed up for a $1 million donation that provides $4 million in impact when matched by Boone Pickens’ $100 million chair commitment and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The gift establishes the Vaughn “Trey” O. Vennerberg III Chair in Bioinformatics and Molecular Genetics, the Vennerberg Professorship in Art and the Vennerberg Professorship in Developmental Disabilities in Psychology. Each is the first endowed position in its department. Vennerberg’s long-term goal is for the three positions to help recruit talented faculty and students and to bring national academic recognition to OSU through outstanding research. A psychology graduate and proponent of genetic research, he chose to make the gifts in areas that played a part in shaping who he is today. “Genetic research is an issue that is very close to my heart and something that’s affected my family personally,” Vennerberg says. “Maybe this gift will eventually help improve the quality of life for individuals with genetic disorders as well as giving their families hope.” Jacob Longan ’05 cas.okstate.edu Photo OSU Foundation Photo Provided Oklahoma State university 13 development
The College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma State University boasts nine dedicated research centers, including its newest, the Center for Oklahoma Studies. The centers are hidden jewels. Their work may involve faculty and graduate students trying to understand how countries cope with devastating tsunamis or may entail working to bring together folks to discuss explosive issues. Whatever the focus, the centers address a broad range of interdisciplinary interests. Here is an overview. Centers Create New Knowledge, Explore New Approaches Ron McCoy, a history professor and the co-director for the Center for Oklahoma Studies, is currently researching the painted tipis and shield designs of the 19th-century Kiowa. The first three images are Kiowa artist Silver Horn’s graphite and colored pencil drawings of Kiowa shield designs, circa 1904 – 1906. The fourth image is an anonymous Kiowa drawing of two women standing between two painted lodges with a lance hanging on a pole, circa 1875 – 1877. The last image, Lodges of chiefs, 1875, is by an anonymous Kiowa artist. College of Arts and Sciences 14 college news
John Steinbeck’s depiction of the Depression Era-migrant workers in The Grapes of Wrath swept across the national consciousness like an Oklahoma prairie fire. It burned away other images of Oklahomans and left behind the charred term “Okie.” A word once used solely to refer to the state’s residents became a generalized pejorative descriptor of Oklahomans. Okie, like Steinbeck’s novel, kindles ambivalence among Oklahomans. Some wear the label with pride, associating it with loyal, hardworking, friendly people, while others cringe at its use, particularly by non-residents. Everyone mounts a defense of some type. Still, the word lingers and with it the negative perception of Oklahomans as poor, uneducated, indigent farm workers. Oklahomans have been trying to overcome the Steinbeck image for 70 years, yet how Oklahomans perceive themselves and the effects of those views remain largely unknown. Who are Oklahomans? How do they think? What forces shaped their perceptions? How do their perceptions influence policy — essentially, what makes an Oklahoman an Oklahoman? Finding answers to these questions stimulates numerous research opportunities, many of them multidisciplinary. But until now, there has been no place to gather information about ongoing university research, exchange ideas or form collaborations — no clearinghouse for Oklahoma studies. OSU Library Dean Sheila Johnson, along with Carol Moder, head of OSU’s English Department, and history professor Elizabeth Williams, proposed a new Center for Oklahoma Studies “to illuminate the state’s history, culture and current affairs.” Their plan recommends specialized studies in Oklahoma history and dialects to work in tandem with the library’s oral history project. In support, the College of Arts and Sciences has hired two new faculty members to develop the proposal: Western historian Ron McCoy and Dennis Preston, an expert in sociolinguistics and dialectology. The library recruited Mary Larson, anthropologist and oral historian, who recently assumed leadership of the library’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program. Taking a Closer Look at Oklahoma “People in Oklahoma are like a mosaic,” says McCoy, who is currently researching Lakota winter counts and the painted tipis and shield designs of the 19th-century Kiowa. “Put it all together, and you start getting a very multifaceted picture of Oklahoma — a complex history. By bringing people and ideas together, the center becomes a way the university can contribute to the overall culture, to an overall awareness and appreciation of one of the most diverse heritages a state could possible have,” he says. “Culturally and ethnically, Oklahoma has been at a crossroads long before statehood. We need to learn where we are. How we got here, and maybe where we’re going to go. Many people aren’t particularly aware of how diverse Oklahoma is or the tremendous strength and opportunity that come from this diversity.” continues next page Smithsonian Institution National Anthropological Archives Oklahoma State university 15 college news
“The way people talk reveals their history, perceptions, values, even their future,” Preston says. Nowhere is that study more exciting than Oklahoma, which “is at enormous linguistic crossroads” as well. Oklahomans’ speech is both diverse and distinct. Although influenced by bordering states, it differs from other regional dialects and even from section to section within the state, he says. “What makes Oklahomans distinctive from a linguistic point of view? And what does that tell us about the way Oklahomans perceive themselves and the way they think,” he asks. “In one study, more than half say Oklahomans’ speech is most similar to Southern Johnson says the library’s main emphasis will be expanding the oral history programs. Larson, who has experience in creating oral history research programs, will work collaboratively with other faculty to teach students oral history methodology that meets national standards. As a repository, the library plans to make interviews widely available through the Internet. The emphasis on oral history also involves reaching out to communities, another crucial element in its development. “Since this is for Oklahoma studies, it’s not just to engage the interest of academics. We want to engage people outside academe,” Preston says. “The center will be doomed if it doesn’t have a very strong outreach component so that Oklahomans are engaged in it and by it.” As it matures, the co-directors expect the center will provide resources for teachers as well as presentations for the public. “Ten years from now I see it bringing together faculty and students from across campus to identify, study and preserve Oklahoma’s vibrant culture, history and ethnic and linguistic diversity,” Johnson says. “We have much to be proud of including some very talented and successful Oklahomans who have made wonderful contributions to music, theater, arts, dance, commerce — in all areas actually.” Perhaps it is time to retire the “Okie” image. Eileen Mustain speech. Is that because of the vocabulary, grammar and vowel sounds, or does it have more to do with perception?” Preston explores these questions along with others about dialect differences among Oklahomans: “Do those living in the Panhandle sound like those living in Little Dixie? What is language like in the state’s small, immigrant and African-American communities?” While McCoy and Preston’s credentials lend prominence to the Oklahoma studies project, their role as co-directors involves more than their individual research. “Ron and I want to go beyond history, English and the library to engage other departments and facilitate cross-disciplinary research,” says Preston, who already envisions collaborative projects with cultural geography, experimental psychology and art. “We want to get people from other departments involved. We want to bring together people who are interested in Oklahoma but who haven’t shared information before.” The Center for Oklahoma Studies will facilitate information flow, McCoy says. “It’s as if building a bee colony that adds to itself as it goes along — just as Preston’s dialect studies bring in history and psychology. By bringing in new perspectives and letting them ferment, calling attention to an area and drawing in resources, a rounded, fuller picture emerges.” Officially adopted in 1925, the Oklahoma flag honors more than 60 groups of Native American Indians and all their ancestors. College of Arts and Sciences 16 college news
Lamar Looney 1920-1928 Bessie McColgin 1920-1924 Lulu Anderson 1 1922-1924 Anna Laskey 2 1922-1928 Edith Mitchell 2 1922-1924 Ida Robertson 3 1924-1926 Gladys Whittett 3 1924-1926 Elma Eylar 4 1928-1930 Ila Huff 1940-1944 Grace Mitchelson 1944-1948 Mona Jean Russell 1944-1948 Pauline Tabor 1962-1970 Ruth Patterson 1964-1968 Texanna Hatchett 1966-1972 Anna Belle Wiedemann 1966-1972 Hannah Atkins 1968-1980 Jan Turner 1972-1974 Dorothy Conaghan 1973-1986 Mina Hibdon 1973-1976 Joan Hastings 1974-1984 Mary Helm 1974-1978 Judy Swinton 1974-1978 Helen Arnold 1976-1982 Cleta Deatherage 1976-1984 Helen Cole 78-84, 84-88, 91-96 Alene Baker 1980-1984 Rebecca Hamilton 1980-1986, 2002Maxine Kincheloe 1980-1986 Twyla Mason 1980-1984 Bernice Shedrick 1980-1996 Freddye Williams 1980-1990 Penny Williams 80-88, 88-04 Nancy Virtue 1982-1986 Jan Collins 1984-1986 Billie Jean Floyd 1984-1988 Linda Larason 1984-1994 Sue Milton 1984-1986 Carolyn Thompson 1984-1992 Kay Dudley 1986-1990 Claudette Henry 1986-1988 Maxine Horner 1986-2004 Vicki Miles-LaGrange 1986-1993 Wanda Jo Peltier 1986-1996 Vickie White 1986-1990 Joan Greenwood 1988-2004 Alice Musser 1988-1990 Trish Weedn 1988-2000 Betty Boyd 1990-2000 Carolyn Coleman 1990-2002 Mary Fallin 1990-1994 Angela Monson 90-93, 93-05 Laura Boyd 1992-1998 Jari Askins 1994-2006 Debbie Blackburn 1994-2006 Odilia Dank 1994-2006 Carol Martin 1994-2002 Barbara Staggs 1994-2006 Mary Easley 96-04, 04Kathleen Wilcoxson 1996-2008 Susan Winchester 1998-2008 Nancy Riley 2000-2008 Sue Tibbs 2000Daisy Lawler 2002-2006 Debbe Leftwich 2003Judy Eason McIntyre 2003-2004, 04Lisa Johnson Billy 2004Ann Coody 2004Marian Cooksey 2004Lee Denney 2004Sally Kern 2004Jeannie McDaniel 2004Susan Paddack 2004Pam Peterson 2004Constance Johnson 2005Skye McNiel 2006Anastasia Pittman 2006Leslie Osborn 2008www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/wotol/ Unless otherwise noted in 1-4 below, photos are courtesy of Legislative Service Bureau-Photo Division 1. Lulu Anderson-From the photo archives of The Oklahoma Publishing Co. 2. Anna Laskey, Edith Mitchell-Research Division, Oklahoma Historical Society 3. Ida Robertson, Gladys Whittett-Copyright 1925, The Oklahoma Publishing Co. 4. Elma Eylar-Reprinted with permission from The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Copyright © 2009 Oklahoma State University Board of Regents Senate House O k l a h oma Oral History Research Project In support of the Center for Oklahoma Studies, the library recruited Mary Larson who is an anthropologist and oral historian. Larson recently assumed leadership of the library’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program. She will oversee projects such as the Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project. Larson works in sync with center co-directors Ron McCoy (pictured) and Dennis Preston (photo on page 18). Oklahoma State university 17 college news
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