11 to be inducted into higher ed Hall of Fame
EDMOND — The Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society has named 11 people to its 2017 Hall of Fame class. The group will be honored at a dinner and induction ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Nigh Center on the University of Central Oklahoma campus.
Tickets are $75. Online registration is available at www.ohehs.org. Call Joyce Sanders at (405) 574-1201 for more information. Those being honored are: Tony Allison, who during his years at Cameron University founded the debate and forensics program and coached its teams to several national championships. He also established a speech and debate summer camp for high school students that ranks among the top in the nation.
Susan Barber retired as provost of Oklahoma City University after 32 years as a botany professor, department chair and a succession of academic administrative posts. She has been honored as a distinguished graduate of Oklahoma State University and received the lifetime achievement award from the Oklahoma Academy of Science.
As president of Oklahoma Panhandle State University, David Bryant led academic initiatives to meet area needs and revised the array of agricultural programs that had been a mainstay of the institution. He also planned and implemented an extensive capital and infrastructure campaign.
J. Rufus Fears was a renowned classics professor at the University of Oklahoma who inspired thousands of students through his campus classes, distance teaching, study trips, public lectures and publications. His demonstrated excellence in pedagogy was recognized by multiple awards. Fears died in 2012.
Marlin “Ike” Glass provided guidance in policy and fiscal matters as a member of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education during his 18 years of service. He helped establish the Oklahoma Transportation Center, a joint venture between OU and OSU to meld business and higher education through research and outreach to establish logistics priorities for the nation.
During his 28 years at OU, Roger Harrison Jr. has received national honors as the author of a textbook adopted by 70 universities in the U.S. and abroad, for being a leader in biomedical engineering education, and through research which opened the door for the significant reduction in the amount of toxic substances required for chemotherapy in cancer treatment.
Oklahoma City University President Robert Henry has had successful careers in law, government and higher education. While a law student at OU, Henry was elected to the state House of Representatives before twice being elected to terms as Oklahoma attorney general. After a stint as OCU Law School Dean, Henry was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals. He was chosen as OCU president in 2010.
Maxine Horner, a Democrat from Tulsa who served 18 years in the state Senate, authored the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, also known as Oklahoma’s Promise, which is an early commitment financial aid program that covers tuition for nearly 20,000 Oklahoma students each year.
During his 34 years at OU, James “Jeff” Kimpel has been a leading scientist, teacher and academic administrator in meteorology and atmospheric science, including 13 years as director of the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Kimpel is now an emeritus scientist with the Storms Lab and emeritus professor of meteorology.
By the time Katherine Kocan retired from OSU in 2016, she had presented 42 first-author papers and was co-author of 43 more at national meetings of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases. She also mentored many students on their paths to research publications. The primary thrust of her research has been in parasitology in cattle, of vital importance to Oklahoma agriculture.
Paul Sechrist retired from Oklahoma City Community College after more than 10 years as president. He also served OCCC as business and computer technology dean, academic vice president and provost. Sechrist was a leader in developing courses, certifications and degree programs to meet state and local workforce needs.
The Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognize and honor individuals, living and deceased, whose achievement and leadership in scholarship, teaching, research, administration, staff support, outreach and public service have brought honor and distinction to higher education in the state. This year represents the 24th year to honor these individuals’ distinguished contributions.