48 Tiffani Raynae Vogan, ’08, sociology, died Aug. 23, 2009, at age 27. Miss Vogan was born on June 19, 1982, in Bartlesville, Okla., and was a graduate of Bartlesville High School. In 2008, she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from OSU. She was a full-time employee at Eskimo Joe’s Restaurant in Stillwater. She enjoyed socializing, meeting new people and hearing their laughter. She also enjoyed photographing social gatherings. “Tiffani had an incredible impact on the people in her life and passionately pursued fun. She had an extraordinary ability to empathize with others and had a great sense of humor,” says Roger Hale. Her favorite quote was “Treasure each other in the recognition that we do not know how long we shall have each other,” by American rabbi and author Joshua Liebman. She is survived by her parents Roger and Teri Hale, Bartlesville; a brother, Ryan ’02; a sister, Angela; a grandmother; two uncles; a cousin; and many friends. Danny Logan Rowe, ’83, geology, died Nov. 4, 2009, at age 53. Mr. Rowe was a resident of Norman, Okla. He was born Sept. 1, 1956, in Seminole and graduated from Ponca City High School. He was passionate about flying and geology. His colleagues spoke highly of Mr. Rowe saying he represented everything good about the oil business. He is survived by his wife, Candy, Norman; children, Nikki Jones, Stillwater, Ashley Rowe, Denver, Logan Rowe, Norman, Jeff Jones, Norman, and Megan Erickson, Denver; mother, Jeanne Rowe, Ponca City; father, Del Rowe, Ponca City; two brothers, Patrick Rowe, and his wife, Monah, Houston, and David Rowe and his wife Debbie, Dublin, Ohio; and two grandchildren. George A. Gries, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at OSU, died Nov. 11, 2009, at age 92. Born to John M. and Ethel Goff Gries on May 2, 1917, in Cambridge, Mass., Dr. Gries spent his youth in Washington, D.C. and summers at the family farm in Ohio. He met Mary Lou Carpenter while an undergraduate at Miami University and married her in 1939 in Wichita, Kan., where he In Memory earned a master’s degree. The couple moved to Madison, Wis., where he earned a doctorate. During the 1940s and 1950s, he was a professor of plant pathology and botany at the Connecticut Experimental Station, Purdue University and the University of Wales, Swansea. The couple moved to Tucson in 1960 where he headed the plant pathology department at the University of Arizona. He also served as acting head of botany and head of the department of biological sciences at the University of Arizona. In the late 1960s, he was named the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at OSU. In 1982, the couple retired to Green Valley, Ariz., where Dr. Gries volunteered for many gardening organizations. In 1999, the Gardeners of America presented him with the Johnny Appleseed Award. He also was an enthusiastic supporter of the Boy Scouts. Mary Lou Gries preceded him in death in 2006. He is survived by two children, James C. Gries, San Francisco; Judylynn Gries, Green Valley; and many nephews and nieces. Rolan V. Decker, ’58, chemistry, died Jan. 22, 2010, at age 73. Dr. Decker was born Nov. 4, 1936, in Bartlesville, Okla. He was a 1958 graduate of Oklahoma State University and in 1965, earned a doctorate in biochemistry from Purdue University. He taught in the chemistry department at Southwest Oklahoma State University from 1965 to 1996. During his tenure at SWOSU, he served as president of the faculty senate and was active in the Oklahoma chapter of American Association of University Professors serving twice as state president. He received a 50-year membership pin from the American Chemical Society. As an undergraduate student at Oklahoma State University, he was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa as well as other honor societies, was co-chair of Religious Emphasis Week, and was a member of OSU bands for four years serving as president of Kappa Kappa Psi his senior year. He was named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities in 1958. His interests were many including music and theater, and he was proficient on piano, clarinet and cello. He also enjoyed singing with or directing choral groups. While teaching, he completed the requirements for a music degree at SWOSU. He participated in theater at Southwest Playhouse in Clinton where he was both an actor and director. He served a term on the board of the Oklahoma Community Theater Association. Dr. Decker is survived by his wife of 49 years, Priscilla Smith Decker, ’61; four children, including Joel K. Decker ’89; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. William Jordan Welch, 2010 campaign chair for Arts and Sciences at OSU, died July 8, 2010. Mr. Welch was a lifelong Tulsan, born March 4, 1934, to Taft and Mary Virginia Jordan Welch. He attended Sidney Lanier, Woodrow Wilson and Central High schools. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in business and in law. He attained the rank of captain in the U.S. Army. In his business career, he was officer and director of Scott-Rice Co., Scott and Welch Drilling Company, Republic Bank, Commercial Bank, Western National Bank and Geodyne Resources. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church. He was influenced by Kanakuk Kamp, which he attended every summer from the age of 9, and began the tradition for the next three generations of Welches. “I’m Third” was his way of life. He was currently on the Board of Trustees of Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington. He donated the Welch Collection to the University of Tulsa, and created endowed professorships at Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma and Whitworth. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and recently had been awarded the honor of becoming a “Significant Sig.” He is survived by his wife of 26 years Peggy Layman Welch ’73; four sons, Bill Jr., Steve, Doug, Paul and David; their wives; 12 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a brother, James Welch. William Douglas Warde, statistics professor, died Aug. 3, 2010, at age 67. In 1965, Dr. Warde earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics with statistics, and geography from Sir John Cass College, University of London. In 1967, he earned a master’s in statistics from Florida State University. He earned a doctorate in applied statistics in 1972 at Iowa State University. At OSU, he was a statistics professor for 38 years heading the department for 10 of those years. He chaired the OSU Faculty Council and was president of the OSU chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. He had a fellowship at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., from 1985 to 1986. He judged state science fairs and the Cherokee Nation Science Fair. Through a NASA grant, he ran a summer camp for American Indian junior high science students in the 1990s. At the time of his death, he was serving as chapter adviser to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and was a Sequoyah Fellow. Dr. Warde was a board member of the University and Community Federal Credit Union for about 30 years, a founding member of Stillwater’s Centennial Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. He attended the Perkins Church of Christ in Perkins, Okla. In October 2009, he became an American citizen. For 59 years, he was involved in Boy Scouting. He became a Cub Scout in Singapore and rose to Queen’s Scout, the equivalent of an American Eagle Scout. He earned his Wood Badge at Gilwell Park, England. In Stillwater, he served as Scout Master of Troop 818, First United Methodist Church; Assistant Scout Master of Troop 828, University Heights Baptist Church; and with Cub Scout packs at Sangre Ridge Elementary School and Highland Park Elementary School. He took leadership positions in Will Rogers Council, now Cimarron Council, and served as Council Commissioner for several years. He earned almost every award given in Boy Scouting, including the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor given at the council level. Dr. Warde also was awarded the Vigil rank of the Order of the Arrow. He attended every National Boy Scout Jamboree from 1977 to 2010 as a Scout master or as a volunteer. He is survived by his wife Dr. Mary Jane Warde, Stillwater; two sons, Colin W. Warde and Mark Christopher Warde, Stillwater; and a grandson. Lawrence Lindsay Gibbs, ’72, journalism, died Aug. 10, 2010, at age 67. Mr. Gibbs was born Oct. 21, 1942, in Tulsa, Okla. He grew up in Oklahoma City, where he attended Harding School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1972 from OSU. He received a 50-year award from the Oklahoma Press Association. He was a member of the Red Red Rose organization, Model Rail Road Club, Elks Lodge and Oklahoma Steam Threshing Association. He was a Boy Scout leader and received the Silver Beaver Award of the Boy Scouts. He had many hobbies including traveling, riding trains, going to auctions, writing, photography and old tractors. He is survived by his wife Peggy Gibbs, Stillwater; two sons, Gregory Gibbs, Disney, Okla., and Lindsay Gibbs, Stillwater; a sister, Ann Gibbs, Valley Village, Calif.; an aunt, Mignon and Carl Thomas, Stillwater; and two cousins, Sam Hamilton, Stillwater, and John Hamilton, Waxahachie, Texas.
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