USAO honors 3 outstanding alumni

CHICKASHA — The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma recognized three alumni for outstanding achievements and public service Nov. 3 during the annual homecoming festivities.

Pauline Spangler and M. Franklin Keel were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Dr. Jacqueline Evans, an emergency physician and captain in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps, received the Young Alumni Award.

Keel, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, graduated in 1968 and entered the U.S. Air Force. As the first U.S. Foreign Service Officer of Native American descent, Keel represented tribal interests before political and business leaders around the world.

He graduated from the Oklahoma City University School of Law, and was appointed the eastern regional director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1997. Until his retirement in 2014, Keel served the 28 tribes of the region. He also acted as the sole U.S. representative at international meetings concerning indigenous peoples in Russia, Turkey, Canada and Mexico.

Spangler was the administrator of the records department at Grady County Hospital and aided in the transition to a new hospital in Chickasha. She served as a consultant to area hospitals on professional standards in medical records.

During her many years at Grady County Memorial, Spangler served as secretary to the hospital’s board of directors and was a longtime board member of the Oklahoma Medical Records Association. She helped develop the local chapter of the Business and Professional Women’s Association. She retired in 1983.

Evans graduated summa cum laude in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in biology. She joined the Air Force's Commissioned Officer Training program and continued her studies at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. In May 2014, Evans received her doctor of medicine degree with a specialization in emergency treatment.