Cutline goes here Scan the code to learn more about how you can make an impact at OSU. Garton, second from right, helps ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange during his tenure at TIME for Kids. With an extended family of ranchers, Garton spent a lot of time in small farming towns from a young age. That continued in his first job after college, working for the Oklahoma ARC, where he traveled across the state interacting with families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was important to him that a significant portion of his gift supported rural journalism at OSU to ensure these underrepresented populations are still prevalent in news coverage so their voices can be heard. The Garton Family Funds will help students get out into these rural communities and share their stories. “As college education evolves, experiential learning and community outreach are more important than ever, but such efforts can be resource intensive,” said Dr. Jared Johnson, SMSC director. “This gift will provide needed resources to perpetually support our efforts to bring stories to rural areas and benefit those communities for years to come. SMSC is proud to have caring alumni like Keith Garton.” When Garton was in high school, he and his father took a trip out west to look at colleges in Oregon, Wyoming and Colorado. The whole time, he just wanted to be back home. OSU was always where he was going to go. Fifty years later, he wouldn’t change a thing. “OSU opened my eyes to a lot of things I would never have known had I stayed in southern Oklahoma where I grew up or if I had left Oklahoma for school,” Garton said. “It’s a great place to learn who you are and make connections with people that will change your life forever. “OSU was just the most comfortable place in the world to me. And it was important to give back in some way.” 22 CONNECT 2025
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