Hall of Fame Honorees
The Oklahoma Military Academy Hall of Fame was established in 1984 as a way to honor and pay tribute to those individuals who have attained high achievements in professional endeavors or notable personal accomplishments at the local, state or national level. Recipients must have demonstrated an exceptional academic and activity record on College Hill. Participation in the OMA Alumni Association or the activities of Rogers State University are also considered in awarding Hall of Fame designation to former cadets. Members of the Oklahoma Military Academy Hall of Fame exemplify the highest standards of the Academy and its motto: Courage, Loyalty and Honor.
J.D. Cribbs '64
2023 Hall of Fame Honoree
For the greater part of his life, James D. Cribbs and the military have been inextricably intertwined. A career Army intelligence officer, he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1994 and spent his next decade in Washington, D.C., working as a defense contractor. All of that followed six years of military training on the Hill, where he graduated from both high school and junior college, leaving the latter as a Battalion Commander, Superior Cadet, and Distinguished Military Student, among other honors.
After graduating with a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma (later, he’d receive an M.A. in business from Central Michigan University), Cribbs spent a year in law school at the University of Tulsa and then went into the Army for his mandatory military service, serving 15 months in Viet Nam with the 101st Airborne Division before returning home.
“When I got back to Tulsa,” he recalls, “I had the obligatory two-year reserve service, and my dad hooked up a job for me as an aide to General Leslie Lane, a top-flight insurance salesman who had been one of [the famed World War II Army unit] Merrill’s Marauders. He became a role model of mine.” At the time, Cribbs was working in the family business, selling industrial supplies with his father, another of his role models. But, he says, when the U.S. Army contacted him about rejoining, “I could see a path toward providing for myself.”
General Lane, his role model, probably played a part in his decision to re-enter the military. His years on the Hill definitely did. “Being at OMA taught me that I could work with some degree of efficiency in a very structured substrata of society,” he says. “I didn’t really see myself taking over my parents’ business, because I wasn’t my father. So I said yes to the Army and went down to Fort Benning, and right after mandatory combat arms training, I was designated as a military intelligence research officer From there, I went to Fort Holabird, Maryland, and became a special agent for Army intelligence – a plainclothes assignment.” He believes that the attention to appearance he learned as a cadet helped him convincingly carry out that job.
“When you attended classes at OMA, probably 60 percent of the time, you had to wear a tie, your shoes were going to be shined, that sort of thing,” he explains. “I was a badge- carrying plainclothes special agent for Army intel, assigned to New York City, doing background investigations, pounding up and down midtown. I wore a tie. My shoes were shined. I didn’t look like I was totally out of line with the [people in the] midtown corporations – and that’s the area where I worked.” He also served with the Eighth, Second, and Twenty-fifth Infantry Divisions; the U.S. Forces Korea Combined Field Command; the Defense Nuclear Agency; and on multiple assignments with the Defense Intelligence Agency before retiring from active duty.
OMA, he says, provided a foundation for not only his service, but also his life – even though he admits that his first semester on the Hill was one of his greatest challenges. “But then you got through the rabbit period, the initiation, and things got a little better. It wasn’t awful, and my grades were okay, so I said, `Let’s do it again.’ Now, I knew how to shine my shoes and that kind of thing – and it got better. Another year, and it got better again. And so, eventually, within that six years, when I became a senior cadet, I said, `It can’t get any better than this.’”
Looking back, Cribbs says that his induction into the OMA Hall of Fame means “one hell of a lot, given my personal misgivings about my abilities” during his six-year stint as a cadet. “After all these years,” he adds, “that I might be favorably remembered with those many other cadets who went ahead of me and in many instances gave their last full measure of sacrifice, or suffered debilitating combat wounds, is more than I ever expected or might deserve.”
Carlos Galvez '60
2023 Hall of Fame Honoree
During OMA’s heyday, the school not only attracted cadets from across the U.S., but also from a variety of other countries all over the world. One of the latter was Guatemala native Carlos Galvez, who was sent to St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Muskogee at the tender age of seven and ended up taking his last year of high school and two years of junior college on the Hill.
How is it that a child from Guatemala ended up attending school on another continent? “Really, it’s kind of a simple story,” says Galvez. “My dad was self-made; he was very successful in the automobile business, in dealerships. One of the elite things in a country like Guatemala was the ability to send your children abroad. That was a big plus. And because of the automobile connections he had with Detroit and the like, he met a lot of people who recommended schools. “My two sisters went to Ursuline Academy in New Orleans. He sent me to St. Joseph’s; there was a family in Muskogee that he knew, one that I could visit, and that’s how I ended up there.”
He recalls that the prep school was “pretty much a military environment – we wore uniforms and we’d drill.” Later, he attended both the Ponca Military Academy in Ponca City and Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Mo., so when he arrived on the Hill for his senior year of high school, the transition wasn’t nearly as hard as it could’ve been. It was also lasting. “I found that OMA was the place I wanted to graduate from,” he says, “so I did one year of high school and then two years of college there. And everything I’ve tried to do in my lifetime is pretty much governed by what I learned in those three years.”
Following his OMA graduation, Galvez enrolled at the University of Tulsa, where he notes, “coming from a disciplined atmosphere and going independent into the university was very difficult for me, and my grades suffered.” So he made the decision to enlist in the Marine Corps, the service branch in which both of his brothers-in-law had served, and did a six-year stint before being honorably discharged in 1968. He re-enrolled at TU, going to night school and working during the day, for another year, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
From there, Galvez went to work in the pipeline-construction industry, and for the next 47 years his involvement with major projects took him to the Middle East, South America, Asia, Africa, and Alaska. Following his retirement, he used the expertise and knowledge gained from almost a half-century in the business world to do consultant work in Canada. During his international travels, he launched such public-service projects as the creation of a welding school in Choba, Nigeria and the adoption of an orphanage in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
“Poverty and substandard conditions are rampant in Third World countries,” he says. “To remedy some of these deficiencies, we were instrumental in constructing water systems to serve small villages. [We] created local trade schools, and on many occasions assisted the local schools in obtaining supplies. Functioning in these types of surroundings is often not easy but can be quite rewarding when others benefit from your efforts.”
He’s continued his volunteer work in the United States, attaining the rank of commander in the Tulsa Auxiliary Police, mentoring high school students in the Junior Achievement program, and currently serving on the OMA Alumni Association board of directors. Of the latter, he says, “The amazing thing to me is that I’m 83 years old, I spent three years on the Hill, and here I am, still involved with something that happened so long ago. It had an impact on me that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
Col. Roy H. Hinman II, M.D. '71
2023 Hall of Fame Honoree
As the founder of the medical-service organization Island Doctors, Roy H. Hinman II, M.D. personally oversees health professionals in 53 offices throughout the state of Florida – in addition to maintaining a full slate of patients himself. As a member of the Army until 2014, when he retired with the rank of Colonel, he served three combat tours in Iraq as well as seeing duty in Germany, Korea, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.
Not a bad resume for a man who laughingly refers to himself as an “albatross” who was around for the demise of three different ROTC programs back in his high school and college days. “I was at Oklahoma Military Academy for two years, as a junior and senior in high school, and I was in the last class,” he notes. “Of course, we closed out the Oklahoma Military Academy ROTC program. I continued for the next two years at [OMA’s successor institution] Claremore Junior College. It had the same professor of military science that had been at Oklahoma Military Academy, so they continued with the military program at Claremore Junior College for the next two years, and then they closed that down. So essentially I helped close out Oklahoma Military Academy’s ROTC program, and then the Claremore Junior College ROTC.”
He wasn’t finished, either. After graduating from junior college at CJC, he went to the University of Tulsa to finish his four-year degree, prior to being commissioned in the Army. TU offered Air Force ROTC, not Army, but Dr. Hinman got permission to enroll in the program. “I finished the Air Force ROTC, the fourth-year course, and then they shut that program down,” he says with a chuckle.
“When it was all said and done, I had to go to Oklahoma State University to be commissioned.” That began an Army career that saw him serve some five years active duty as a cavalry officer and continue with the Army Reserve, even as he traveled to the Dominican Republic and began medical school.
An armor major, Dr. Hinman switched to the medical corps in 1992, a year after he opened his first Island Doctors Office, because he wanted to be deployed to Iraq. He was. “On two of my Iraq tours, I served with combat-arms units, and they treated me as one of their own because I’d walk in there with tanker boots on,” he recalls. “I went to a tank unit – I was a full colonel then – and a captain asked, `Why are you wearing those, sir?’
“`I taught heavy weapons as an instructor at Fort Knox, at the advanced camp,’ I told him. `Have you been there yet?’ “`No, but I’m going!’
“`In an earlier life, you would’ve seen me there,’ I said. `That’s why I’m wearing tanker boots.’ “Okay, sir.’”
In a much earlier life, Hinman would’ve been found on the Hill, along with his fellow cadets, all of them attending OMA with the realization that the West Point of the Southwest was, irrevocably and unfortunately, on its way out.
“The very last semester, when it became locked down that nobody was going to save us, and OMA was going away no matter what happened, things did get a little bit loose,” he remembers. “I can specifically remember being able to keep my dog on campus. Somehow, we were able to sneak this German Shepherd in, and I don’t know if we were keeping him on the roof, or in billets, or what, but I had my dog on campus, and he stayed with me quite a while.”
But even though the academy was in its last days during his time there, it taught Dr. Hinman lessons that continue to inform his life. “It was defining,” he says. “The motto of OMA: Courage. Loyalty. Honor. That was like a drumbeat, driven into your consciousness. And it was driven so far into your consciousness that it became part of your persona. If you bought in – and I did, hook, line, and sinker – it all made sense. And it became a part of who I am.”
Dewey Wilson '66
2023 Hall of Fame Honoree
Even before he graduated from OMA’s junior college in 1966, Dewey Wilson loved military history. And once his own 22-year career in the service ended, he began finding ways to enlighten others about the topic he found, and continues to find, endlessly fascinating.
“I was in AWACS at Tinker Air Force Base my last six years in the Air Force, and right after I retired I got together with some guys who were doing military living history, where you dress up in period uniforms and present yourselves to the public,” he says. “I kind of came up with the idea of forming a World War II color guard, and when the 45th Infantry Division Museum had ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, we’d all wear the World War II combat uniform for Europe, like the 45th wore, and do a color-guard presentation.
“Also, this group did displays of World War II military memorabilia, and each member had his own stuff. We’d set up tables in different places – a couple of times we did it over at Crossroads Mall in Oklahoma City – and we’d be in our uniforms. One of our members had a Jeep, and I remember at one of our displays he actually had his World War II Jeep parked right in the middle of things. It made for a good presentation.”
Wilson readily cites his time on the Hill as a factor in his continued drive to bring military history to life for others. With a chuckle, he also mentions being influenced by “all the good war movies” back in the ‘50s, when he was growing up.
“I’ll tell you what the big thing was, though,” he adds. “My father was a combat soldier in World War II over in Europe, in the Italian campaign, and I always had a lot of respect for him. He never did talk about the war much, but I knew he’d been over there, and I wanted to honor him and other World War II veterans.”
Wilson found more opportunities to do that back in 2015, when he was approached by fellow OMA alumnus Phil Goldfarb.
“It was at a reunion, and Phil said, `Hey, Dewey, would you like to volunteer to work at the museum and help out [then-curator] Gene Little?’” he recalls. “I thought about it and then
I said, “Yeah. Sure.’ So I went up and assisted Gene for about a year and a half. Then, in December of ‘16, Gene decided to step down. The next thing I know, I get an email that says, `By the way, you’re the new curator’ – which was fine with me. I’d never really done that, but I learned as I went along. “I’ve really enjoyed being curator,” he concludes. “It brings back a lot of memories when I’m working around here, looking at all the artifacts and everything.”
Wilson retired as an Air Force master sergeant, and some of the best memories he has of OMA involve another master sergeant – a cadet master sergeant named Bruce Dougherty, his roommate on the Hill.
“My last year I was on color guard, and he was the color sergeant,” remembers Wilson. “One of our duties was to fire the howitzer at reveille and retreat, which we did as two-man teams, in shifts. It was a lot of fun. One day, when I wasn’t on duty to fire the howitzer, he said, `While you’re in formation, I want you to take note that I’m putting a tennis ball down the barrel.’ And sure enough, when he pulled the lanyard, that tennis ball went in flames right off into the lake back of the campus.”
Although he may not always share that particular memory when he gives tours of the newly refurbished museum, Wilson continues to enlighten and educate visitors on military history, especially as it relates to OMA.
“This school is a legacy, and a big part of Oklahoma history,” he says. “A big part. Fifty-two years and 10,000 men. People need to know that. A lot of great people came through here, people greater than me.
“Working at the museum is a passion of mine,” he adds. “I want this museum to be great. And it is.”
Angel Beltran '66
2022 Hall of Fame Honoree
By his own admission, Angel Beltran Jr. couldn't speak English when he first showed up on the Hill.
But he learned. “And quickly,” he recalls with a laugh. “We did a lot of drilling at OMA, and in the beginning, I was running into everybody else. They'd turn left, and I would go right. So, what I did was memorize the commands.”
It was exactly that kind of initiative that helped make Beltran not only an outstanding six-year cadet, but also an internationally known businessman and investor who owned and operated television and radio stations and helped bring one of the United States' first Spanish-language TV outlets to El Paso, Texas.
Beltran was, in fact, born in El Paso, but he grew up across the border in Juarez, Mexico. The summer of his fourteenth year, he was on vacation in Mexico City when he got a telephone call from his dad.
“I was visiting my godfather and his kids,” Beltran recalls. “My father called me and said, `You're going to military school.'” He laughs again. “I don't know exactly why that happened, but that's how I ended up at OMA.
“My first roommate was a guy from South America – an American who spoke Spanish. He was my translator.”
Although the stress of being pulled from civilian to military life was even tougher for young Beltran because of the language and cultural differences, it didn't take him long to begin to excel. By the time he was a sophomore, he'd become a member of the color guard, which led to some of his favorite OMA memories.
“Being chosen for the color guard was a great honor,” he says. “We went to the New York World's Fair, opened it up, and on the way back we stopped in St. Louis. Our band played the national anthem for a game, and the color guard was right there in the middle of the football field.”
Another fond memory of his OMA years was more personal. It involved a fellow cadet and a family gathering.
“We didn't do Thanksgiving in Mexico, so a guy named Delbert Crouch invited me to Buffalo, Oklahoma, in the panhandle, to spend Thanksgiving with his family,” recalls Beltran. “That was one of the biggest and most beautiful experiences I ever had – the whole family, the big table, the turkey, everybody sharing the food. And we went quail hunting in the morning.
“Today, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, and it all goes back to that very first Thanksgiving I had,” he adds. “It was just beautiful.”
Upon his graduation from junior college in 1966, Beltran returned to the city of his birth, finishing his degree at the University of Texas – El Paso and fulfilling his military obligation as a second lieutenant in the Army. During his two years of active duty, he earned a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam.
Since then, in addition to his work in the radio and television industry and other ventures, as well as his current position as a real-estate developer, Beltran has devoted much of his time to causes he's found worthy. He has, for instance, been a vice president of the Boy Scouts of America and a board member of the El Paso Symphony. He's also been active in various benevolent organizations in Mexico, including Fundacion Integra, which helps find jobs for marginalized workers, and CONALEP, which trains people for technical jobs. One of his biggest projects was founding a Montessori school in Juarez's poorest neighborhood.
Through it all, Angel Beltran Jr. has been quick to give credit to Oklahoma Military Academy for the hall of fame direction his life has taken.
“OMA, overall, had the biggest impact on my life,” he says. “I think it laid the groundwork for everything I have become. I am what I am today because of OMA – the discipline, trying to better myself, to go up in the ranks. I always had that desire to be better.”
Robert Fisher, Jr. '68
2021 Hall of Fame Honoree
Robert Fisher, Jr. held the positions of Squad Leader, First Sergeant and Platoon Leader during his time at OMA. In 1967, Rob was Squad Leader of Second Semester Rabbits and then in 1968 he was Platoon Leader of Second Semester Rabbits. Rob Graduated in 1968 as a First Lieutenant and his accomplishments at OMA were Outstanding Company, Best Drilled Company, Best Drilled Platoon, Chapel Foundation, DeMolay, Drill Team, Military Proficiency Ribbon, Dean’s Honor Roll, Merit Ribbon, Cadet Capers, Chevron Society, Saber Society, Best Drilled Squad, N.C.D.
Upon graduation from OMA Fisher went into the Air Force for two years of Active Duty followed by two years of Reserve. In June of 1970 he married Vickie Miles Fisher and has been blessed for 51 years with her. They have four children and ten grandchildren whom all live in the Oklahoma City area.
In 1972, Fisher partnered with his father and purchased Farmers Livestock Commission Company at the Oklahoma National Stock Yards in Oklahoma City and for a 12 year period he co-owned B&R Thoroughbred Racing Stables. Upon his Father’s death in 1991, Rob and Vickie bought out his Father’s half of the Company. He owned and ran Farmers until 2008 and then sold it to his son. From 1980 – 1986 Rob held the office of President of the Livestock Exchange at the Oklahoma National Stock Yards and in 1986 he was asked to serve as a Director of the National Stock Yards of which he still serves. He became President of National Stock Yards Company in 1999 which consists of Oklahoma National Stock Yards, St. Louis National Stockyards, and East St. Louis Junction Railroad. For 2 years Fisher also served as President of the Livestock Marketing Association in Oklahoma and for 6 years as President of Stock Yards City Main Street. He was also a Director of UMB Bank for 8 years and served on an Advisory Committee for the Southern Illinois Business Promotion for 6 years. Fisher retired in 2020.
Fisher was selected as an OMA Distinguished Alumnus in 2017. He cherishes his time and the lifelong friends he made from attending OMA.
Allen L. Lewis '61
2021 Hall of Fame Honoree
Allen Lewis graduated from OMA Junior College in 1961, received a BS in Physics from Indiana University in 1963, an MBA in Economics from The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 1972, and completed the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security from Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1993.
While at OMA he achieved the rank of Cadet Second Lieutenant and received the Outstanding Cadet Identification Disk, Academic Achievement Wreath, Merit Ribbon, Military Proficiency Ribbon, Top Military Science Award, Top Science Award, DA Superior Military School Cadet Medal, and the Association of the US Army Medal. He was on the Dean’s and President’s Honor Roll, and the New Cadet Detail. He was a member of the Chevron and Saber Society and the Sports Editor of the ’61 “Vedette”. He was first in his OMA Junior College Class. He was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni in 2016.
He was commissioned a Lieutenant of Artillery and entered active duty at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in September 1963, and served on Active Army for 28 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1991. Assignments included Germany (1964-67), South Vietnam (1967-68), South Korea (1972-73), and at several Army installation and other locations in the U.S. He was assigned to the Army Staff at the Pentagon (1982-83), where he was the Army’s focal point for Space Activities. He graduated from several Army schools, including the Field Artillery Officers Advanced Course, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the Army War College. His last assignment was as Chief of the Army Element, National Reconnaissance Office and the Senior Army Advisor to the Director, National Reconnaissance Office. Decorations received include the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters and was awarded the Army Staff Identification Badge and the Air Force Master Space Badge.
After retiring from the Army, Allen joined Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, in their Washington Operations Office in Washington, D.C. He retired in 2003, as Director, Advanced Space Programs, Space and Strategic Missiles Sector, Lockheed Martin Corporation Washington Operations.
Allen married Colleen Goeppner of Jasper, Indiana, on November 30, 1963. They have two sons: Allen II, born at Stuttgart, Germany in 1967, and Michael, born at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1969, and four grandchildren.
Bert J. Rosson '54
2021 Hall of Fame Honoree
Bert Rosson enrolled in OMA as a junior in high school in 1950 and graduated from high school in 1952. He continued his education at OMA and graduated from Junior College in 1954. While attending OMA, he earned the rank of Battalion Commander and completed all requirements of the ROTC program to earn a commission in the Army upon graduation from college.
Rosson continued his education by enrolling at the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 1954 and graduated in the spring of 1957 with a degree in Marketing. He worked his way through the University of Oklahoma as a roughneck for Noble Drilling Company. During those two summers, he obtained knowledge and learned many of the basic skills of drilling and producing oil and gas wells.
After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, the Department of the Army notified Rosson to report for active duty for two years. Before reporting for active duty, he received new orders to report to Fort Knox, Kentucky for six months of active duty and eight years in the Army Reserve. He served in the Reserve for 11 years before resigning his commission as a Captain.
Rosson was employed by Skelly Oil Company in 1960 as a Landman in Midland, Texas and later transferred to Houston, Texas. In 1967, Skelly Oil Company promoted him to be the District Landman in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1969, he resigned from Skelly Oil Company to form an association with Dee Layman, a geologist, to assemble drilling prospects in the name of Rosson and Layman. That association drilled many wells until December, 1994, when Dee Layman decided to retire. Rosson later formed Rosson Exploration Company in 1995 and continues to assemble drilling deals until the present time.
Rosson married Jane Neilson in 1957 and had two wonderful daughters, Cynthia Margaret Rosson and Julie Ann Rosson. Cynthia provided him with a wonderful granddaughter, Paige, and Julie provided him with a wonderful grandson, Taylor. Unfortunately, Julie died on September 2, 2014. Rosson was divorced and later, in 1972, married Lane Spell. Their wonderful son, Bert J. Rosson, Jr., was born in 1979.
“The best decision I ever made was to attend OMA. OMA taught me honesty, integrity and leadership skills,” said Rosson.
Harry Simpson, '65 (Posthumously)
2021 Hall of Fame Honoree
Harry Simpson attended OMA from 1960 through his graduation in 1965. While on College Hill, he rose to the rank of captain while being active in athletics (football, wrestling, track, tennis and bowling), Sergeant-at-Arms for the Chevron Society, Drill Team, Honor Court, Judge’s Bench, Saber Society and more.
He was in the best drilled company and platoon, and also was active in campus chapel. After graduation, Simpson attended Oklahoma City University where he majored in business administration before joining the Army and serving with the 11th Armored Cavalry Division. He served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967, after which he was stationed at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas.
Professionally, Simpson worked for Burns Construction of Claremore and Oklahoma Testing Laboratories in Oklahoma City as a metallurgist inspecting bridges in Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri. Additionally, he performed structural inspection of high-rise buildings during construction.
For 45 years, he served as a senior draftsman at Midwest Detailing, LLC, where he also served as a primary structural steel detailer for high profile projects, nationally and internationally. He also co-owned several companies, including McKim Solar Energy Systems, Simpson Cleaning Service, Aero-Sport Inc., Excel Telecommunications and Midwest Detailing Inc.
Simpson was active in the community as a member of the Catoosa Chamber of Commerce and the Stoma Club of Catoosa; past president of the Ultralight Aircraft Association of Tulsa; and past instructor with the Junior Achievement Program at the Catoosa Middle School.
In January 1966, Simpson married Deanna Burns (the 1965 Sweetheart of the Corps) and they had two children: daughter, Shannon (Simpson) Cline, and son, Matthew, who died of leukemia in 1995 at the age of 18. The couple had three grandchildren: Savannah Evans, Mike Bright and Samantha (Bright) Robinson. He served as an elder at the Claremore Seventh Day Adventist Church and has preached several sermons throughout northeastern Oklahoma.
Harry passed away May 23, 2020.
Dave T. Faulkner '34 (Posthumously)
2021 Hall of Fame Honoree
Thirty years ago, Oklahoma Military Academy alumnus Dave Faulkner was interred at Memorial Park Cemetery, while volleys of gunfire, police sirens and trumpeter’s taps echoed across the lawn.
Faulkner was an 1983 distinguished alum, third generation police officer and Navy war hero.
His hero was Will Rogers, a friend of his parents, and he had his heart for humanity, too. Will Rogers inspired Faulkner to attend OMA and play polo. Faulkner graduated from OMA as a star athlete and was offered polo scholarships to the University of Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas. Rather than attend, he chose to serve his community by operating a gas station in Claremore.
Faulkner left the gas station after a few years to pursue the first highway patrol academy in 1937. A high achiever, he became one of the first original Highway Patrol Troopers for Oklahoma. During his highly decorated career, he served communities in McAlester, Altus and Tulsa, before working his way up to lieutenant in charge of District 9, later known as Troop B, in Tulsa.
He held the position of Troop B commander until his retirement in 1958. Just one day after his retirement, Faulkner filed for the democratic nomination for Tulsa County Sheriff. He won the primary, swept the general election and served a record 11 terms, or 23 years, as sheriff of Tulsa County – the longest tenure ever served in its history. He handed over his badge in 1982 and officially retired.
During his nearly quarter of a century in office, Faulkner molded the Tulsa County Sheriff’s office into one of the most professional law enforcement organizations in the state. He modernized the agency by establishing the following divisions: park ranger, training and warrants. Additionally, he pushed for legislation that would require additional training and education for his deputies.
Faulkner’s nephew is also named Dave Faulkner and is the longtime owner of Rogers County Abstract. Dave’s wife Mary Horne Faulkner is the daughter of Col. John Horne, a past OMA student and the last president of OMA. Mary is an honorary cadet. Dave will accept the Hall of Fame award on his uncle’s behalf.
Parallel to his own believes, Faulkner built his agency around the principles of honesty, professionalism and dedication. He served on the OMA Memorial advisory committee many years. He was inducted to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Museum and Hall of Fame in 2019.
This well-respected man of great character will be celebrated today, and he will be remembered for his steadfast devotion to his country, his community and his family, as well as the man in the white Stetson hat.
Mr. Ken Colley, ‘69
2019 Hall of Fame Honoree
Ken Colley arrived at OMA in January 1966, as a second semester Rabbit. His welcoming committee, consisting of eight NCOs, led Colley to give 110% effort and receive early recognition from Rabbit period. In high school, Colley lettered in baseball, drill team and the rifle team. He received awards for best drilled squad and best drilled platoon.
In junior college, Colley received the Meyers’ 1968 Academic Achievement Wreath and was named to the Who’s Who in American Junior Colleges. He was also class president for his graduating class in 1969 and graduated at LTC as the Battalion Executive Officer.
Since graduating, Colley has been active in more than 20 class reunions, including serving as Adjutant in 1994 and 2012. He was the Chairman for bringing The Wall that Heals to the OMA Reunion in 2018. He currently serves on the OMA Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Ken has been married to Lynn Colley for 47 years. They have two children, KC Colley, a general contractor living in Greenwood, Arkansas, and Courtney Fulton, who currently resides in Budd Lake, New Jersey. Ken has one grandson, Archer Colley.
Colley served in the 188th Air National Guard from 1971-1976. In 1971, Ken was hired to work for Basin Appraisal Company and after two years at the company, Ken decided to start his own appraisal company. After 40 years, Ken is still operating his own company. He currently appraises residential and commercial properties in both Arkansas and Oklahoma. Colley graduated from John Brown University with a degree in business.
Colley’s service to the community begins with his church. He and his family have been members of Eastside Baptist Church for the past 45 years. He has served as Sunday school teacher, deacon, department director and numerous other positions over the years. In 1976, Colley was elected to be a delegate for the National Republican Convention for then-Governor Ronald Reagan.
In 1990, Colley joined Rotary International and has served in many positions, including Club President twice (1998-1999 and 2015-2016) and Youth Exchange Officer for 21 years during which time Ken and Lynn hosted students from Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Taiwan, Hungary and Columbia. Four of these students lived with the Colleys for an entire school year.
In 2013-14, Ken was elected to be Rotary District Governor for District 6110, which covers parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. At that time, Ken was one of 529 District Governors around the world.
Ken served at a children’s hospital in the Ukraine in 1999 and also helped supply medical equipment to this hospital. In 2014, Ken and other Rotarians raised $30,000 to buy wheelchairs to be shipped to Mexico. This was the first of five trips Ken would make to South America to distribute wheelchairs to needy families. These experiences have enriched Ken’s life, and it has been a blessing for him to be a part of something so humbling.
Ken has served on the Salvation Army Board of Directors since 2000. In 2012-13, Colley served as president. He recently received a certificate of Life Membership in the Salvation Army. Over the years, Ken has helped raise money, plan meals and serve more than 5,000 needy families in and around Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Mr. David Raper, ‘65
2019 Hall of Fame Honoree
David Raper arrived at OMA during the second semester of 1959. He was able to stay through Junior College in 1965, from a Rabbit to Corps Commander. Oklahoma Gov. Henry Bellmon was the speaker at the 1965 graduation, and this OMA introduction allowed Raper to resign his regular Army commission and accept a regular commission as a 2nd Lieutenant USMC following his graduation from OU in 1967.
At OU, because of the training at OMA in voice projections, Raper spent two years as a varsity cheerleader. He served four years and 17 days in the Marine Corps and continues to serve his Marines and other veterans because of the Loyalty banner established at OMA. Following the Marine Corps, he went to the FBI for six and a half years, which flowed into a career in private industry focusing on training, management and small businesses.
After a major PTSD incident, which an OMA day student pre-warned Raper during an OMA golf outing that he did in fact have PTSD, Raper became involved with the Military Order of Purple Heart. He completed six years serving as the Adjutant for the Department (State) of Georgia. His Chapter and the Department have honored him with the Patriot of the Year award.
OMA continues to be a major influence in his life, as he notes he still rolls his socks, folds his t-shirts and underwear, and hangs his shirts the correct way.
On May 31, 2019, Raper and his wife Lana will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. They are the proud parents of Jennifer Smith and John David Raper and are the proud grandparents of Carolyn, Lillian and Bradley. They are honored to have as a son-in-law, Clay Smith, Class of 1977 USMA.
Raper states, “Each of us as members of the Corps of Cadets, when we lay the words Courage-Loyalty-Honor against our lives, see the impact those words have had on events in our lives even though we did not recognize it at the time. Today we are carrying on the legacy of the Corps with the Gold Program. New leaders developed by Old Men of OMA. The GOLD Program is our legacy. Years will pass; your great grandchildren will tour the halls of the OMA Museum and find your picture. They will see your name and understand your part in preparing the leaders of tomorrow. The choice is ours, yours and mine. Someone invested in you and me. We need to invest in the men and woman of the GOLD Program. Humbly, Lana and I thank you for this honor.”
Captain Michael Casey ‘67 (Posthumously)
2018 Hall of Fame Honoree
Captain Michael Casey’s life was one of honor, outstanding achievement, and love. He is described by his beloved sisters as “the precious light of our family. He was a great American Army hero who loved God, family, his OMA friends, and his country.”
Michael Dale Casey grew up and spent much of his childhood in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. He was raised by his mother and seven older siblings, as his father died when he was 15 months old. He attended school in Sallisaw until 1962, when he began his studies at Oklahoma Military Academy. There he completed two years of high school and two years of Junior College. Casey was highly active and involved in Chapel Counsel, Drill Team, Saber Society, Outstanding Company, Best Drill Platoon, Chevron Society, Marching Band, and Judges Bench.
He also earned honors, including Military Proficiency Ribbon, Merit Ribbon, High School and College Drill Team Letter, Academic Achievement Wreath, and Outstanding Cadet Identification Disc. During his schooling, he also attended ROTC Ft Sill Summer Camp and was a MST Contract Student. He rose to the rank of Cadet Major.
OMA’s training helped Casey to become an outstanding active duty Army infantry soldier. After graduating from OMA, he attended Oklahoma State University, where he was active in ROTC and studied Military Science.
A year later, in the summer of 1967, Casey enlisted for active duty for the U.S. Army Reserve and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant. He attended basic training in Fort Benning, Georgia, and later in Fort Hood, Texas. In September 1968, he was assigned to Vietnam. There he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant to the 7th Squadron, 17th Air Calvary, and Aero-Rifle Platoon Commander.
During Captain Casey’s time in Vietnam, his troop, the “Ruthless Riders” was assigned to reconnaissance work and rescue missions, usually on foot or via helicopter deep in the jungle. His team captured the Viet Cong District Headquarters, the only successful headquarters capture by the U.S. during the entire Vietnam War. Commander of A-Troop, Major Marshall, described the bond between Casey and his troop: “His platoon showed more respect for him than any other officer. Mike would not send his men anywhere that he would not go himself.” He recalls they called him “Blue” out of their deep respect for him.
After Casey’s first tour in Vietnam, he then volunteered for an additional six months and rose to the rank of Captain. He was always very passionate about rescue missions, and even told his sister, “All those men left out in that jungle to die are some mother’s sons, and I’m going to help save them if I can.” He often spoke of being unafraid to die, and of his deep brotherly love for his comrades.
When he returned to Vietnam, he was first placed in a relatively safe area, but soon volunteered to move to a combat area. After 16 months in the Vietnam War, Captain Casey gave his life for his country on January 23, 1970. He volunteered to go on a deep jungle rescue mission to rescue wounded comrades who had been left behind. He rescued two wounded men before going back for the third. He died with the third man in his arms, laying down his life for his brother.
“Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for a friend.” –John 15:13
Captain Casey was laid to rest in Sallisaw Cemetery with full military honors.
In his brief military career of 27 months (16 months in South Vietnam), Casey was awarded 16 medals: the Silver Star for Gallantry in Action, Air Medal for Meritorious Achievement in Aerial Flight, Army Commendation Medal for Heroism in Vietnam, two Bronze Star Medals for Valor, two Purple Hearts for Battle Wounds, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Sharpshooter Badge for Heroism, Helicopter Wings and the Republic of Vietnam National Order Fifth Class Ribbon.
Charles D. Emerson ‘56
2018 Hall of Fame Honoree
Charles D. Emerson attended high school and junior college at OMA. He played trombone in the band, and he played football and basketball in high school and one semester of junior college. He then went on to attend Oklahoma State University for one semester.
Emerson enlisted in the Army Security Agency and attended Fort Devens, Massachusetts for training in Morse Code Intercept operations monitoring. He became skilled in monitoring field operations of foreign enemies and sending the results to the National Security Agency (NSA). He was stationed at Baumholder, Germany for two years and Harrogate, England for six months. He was promoted to SP5 (E5) in 21 months.
Upon completing his three years tour of duty, Emerson returned to Oklahoma and was hired at Tinker Air Force Base to work in their Computer Data Center. He developed new skills working with IBM 305, 705 and 7080 computers. He worked the second shift at TAFB and attended the University of Oklahoma during the day where he received his degree in accounting. Upon graduation from OU, Emerson interviewed with General Electric (GE) and was hired immediately to work in the Engineering Department in Oklahoma City. One year later, GE decided to close operations. He then was hired at AT&T/Western Electric and spent the rest of his working career at Western Electric, retiring as a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff (DMTS).
Emerson has been happily married for 52 years to his wife Delores. They have three grown children, Angela, a speech pathologists; Christopher, a medical doctor; and Robert, who earned a doctorate in civil engineering and serves as associate professor of structural engineering at OSU. All three children are graduates of OU. They also have 13 grandchildren.
Emerson states, “Attending OMA instilled in me how to organize and use my time efficiently. I believe it worked.”
Willis C. Hardwick ‘56
2018 Hall of Fame Honoree
Willis C. Hardwick attended Oklahoma Military Academy from 1951 to 1956, serving as Corps Commander and Commander of A Company during his last graduating year. He graduated as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1956 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in January 1959. He was then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, entering active service at the Army Air Defense Center in Fort Bliss, Texas where he was assigned to Orogrande Missile Range, White Sands, New Mexico.
After serving multiple Air Defense, Army Aviation and General Staff assignments to include serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, he retired in February 1980 in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel with 21 years active service.
Hardwick is a graduate of the U.S. Army Aviation Flight Training School in Fort Rucker, Alabama where he was awarded the Army Aviator Badge. After 15 years of flying and accumulating some 3,800 hours of accident-free flight time, 700 of which were during two tours in Vietnam, he earned the title Master Army Aviator. Hardwick is a graduate of the Army Air Defense Artillery Basic and Advanced Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College and the Department of Defense Systems Management College. His awards include the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air Medal with Seven Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with One Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Army Distinguished Civilian Service Medal.
After retiring from active Army service, Willis joined the Raytheon Company as the Hampton Roads Virginia Business Development Manager. He later joined Vought Aerospace Corporation’s Washington Operations, which became Loral Vought Systems Corporation and later merged with Lockheed Martin Corporation where he served some 24 years as the Company’s Manager of Air and Missile Defense business within the Washington, D.C. area.
During his service at the Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin Corporation, Willis was an active member of the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) and was elected President, Virginia Peninsula Chapter AUSA and later elected President, 2nd Region AUSA. As President, 2nd Region, Willis served as a Trustee on the AUSA Council of Trustees and as a Member of the AUSA National Advisory Board where he promoted and assisted elected members of the Virginia General Assembly in legislating Virginia State Income Tax relief for Virginians serving on active duty. Willis was also an active member of the National Defense Industrial Association where he served as Chairman, Missile Defense Division and was awarded the Association’s Gold Medal for Meritorious Service.
Willis graduated from the University of Kansas in May 1972 with a Master’s Degree in Meteorology and authored articles related to weather in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NOAA Monthly Weather Review, October 1973 and the U.S. Army Research & Development Magazine, September – October 1973.
Willis C. Hardwick retired February 2008 from the Lockheed Martin Corporation as Director, Air and Missile Defense, serving in Washington Operations providing corporate oversight over all matters pertaining to the Patriot Advanced Capability Phase 3 (PAC-3) Missile program. The PAC-3 Missile was the first anti-ballistic missile interceptor to emerge from President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and is deployed ready to defend multiple countries from potential short-range tactical missile attacks.
Willis and his wife, Jean reside in the Manors of Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia. They have two sons, John of Lexington, Massachusetts, and Matthew of Richmond, Virginia, as well as four grandchildren, Jessica, Elizabeth, Kathrine, and William.
Ronald W. Maust ‘61 (Posthumously)
2018 Hall of Fame Honoree
Growing up in a military family, Ron Maust traveled to many different duty stations where his father was assigned throughout the years. He excelled in sports at Department of Defense schools before graduating from Wiesbaden American High School in Germany where he was a member of the USAFE Championship basketball team at General H.H. Arnold High School.
Upon returning state side, Ron began his business degree studies at Oklahoma Military Academy. At the Academy, Ron was a “first shirt” and was also a member of both the Academy’s Drill Team and Captain of the Demo Lau. The drill team won many state awards for precision and close quarter drills. Ron graduated from OMA in 1961 with the completion of his business degree. The family still has Ron’s OMA foot locker, complete with OMA bumper stickers and it is the repository of all arts and crafts produced by his youngest granddaughter, Darby Anne. Upon graduating from OMA, Ron enrolled in Oklahoma State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
Upon returning to Virginia, he met and married his bride of 46 years, Brenda Staples Maust, and gained employment with National Bellas Hess, the parent company of GEX stores. Ron’s first assignment was as Director of Public Relations of the Hampton location, a position that fit his jovial, welcoming, and outgoing personality perfectly. He was the recipient of many sales and marketing awards including Public Relations Director of the Year three times and Sales and Marketing Manager of the Year. His next assignment was as the East Coast Manager of GEX Department Stores public relations department including Albany and Latham, New York, Camden and Pennsauken, New Jersey, and the three stores in the Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia. The GEX Columbia, South Carolina location was added the following year. In 1970, Ron became the Operations Manager of the Portsmouth store. A year later he was assigned as the Operation Manager of the Hampton location coming full circle as this is the location where he began his career with GEX in 1965.
In 1976, Ron left GEX to pursue his career in the private security services industry, founding Old Dominion Security. The company provided uniformed, unarmed, and armed private security officers to commercial and governmental clients. Ron first established himself in the local market, then began expanding, with offices in Hampton, Phoebus, Norfolk and Williamsburg. As the Federal Government created “small business set asides,” the demand for well-managed service businesses, built on sound business principles grew exponentially. Ron Maust proved to be the right man, with the right skills, at the right time. His business flourished, expanding through government contracts across the United States. Such endeavors led to offices/operations in 11 states and two U.S territories, dominating the southeastern Virginia market and eclipsing $50 million in sales during its 20th year of business. Despite having more than 600 security professionals at its height and tremendous responsibilities at critical U.S. government locations, Ron always claimed to be proudest that “Krispy Kreme donuts trusts my company to keep its building safe on the one day a year it closes, Christmas Day!”
Over 25 years, Ron grew his company to one of the largest privately owned of its kind in the industry, with an appropriate moniker, “Locally Owned, Nationally Known” emblazoned on the signage. What makes Ron’s success as a business person all the more remarkable is that just about the time he was embarking upon his journey with Old Dominion Security, challenging health problems had become a part of his daily life. Mobility problems had led him to see numerous doctors and they referred him to the Mayo Clinic. Enduring excruciating biopsies, Ron finally received the diagnosis that he had Pompeii’s Disease, the rarest form of Muscular Dystrophy. With the technical name of Acid Maltese Deficiency Disease, Ron’s condition meant that his body could not process or expel a common, mundane substance in the human body. This substance slowly encased his muscles, hardened and steadily decreased his mobility. Ron’s instructions from his doctor were to “go home, sign up for disability and enjoy the next six months as best you can, because you are going to die, maybe even as soon as today.” Despite this diagnosis, the father of four young children returned to work and resiliently spent each day knowing it could be his last. Blessedly, the diagnosis was off by more than 30 years, and despite a steady progression of the disease, resulting in decreasing mobility, from needing assistance to get up from special chairs, to a walker, to a wheel chair and eventually to a ventilator, Ron persevered and his family and business thrived.
His oldest daughter Nicole manages a successful business in the private security field, his daughter Noel teaches autistic students and his son Brock is an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Sadly, his daughter Tiffany, a nurse, passed away prematurely due to an unrelated health issue. Collectively, his children had 10 grandchildren, 8 of which Ron lived long enough to meet and spoil.
Ron was recognized by the community for his business prowess and community support through his recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Hampton Rotary Club in 2010. He passed away in 2011.
Bill Ramsay ‘61
2018 Hall of Fame Honoree
Bill Ramsay graduated from OMA High School in 1961 after spending two years at OMA, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant while also serving as lead guitar player in the OMA rock ‘n’ roll Band. He later graduated from The University of Tulsa with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Ramsay began his 40-year career in telecommunications at Southwestern Bell, working in the mailroom while attending college. After graduation, he held many different positions in Oklahoma and in St. Louis including sales, technical support, and marketing. He then went to AT&T at the time of the breakup of the Bell System. In 1986, Ramsay joined WilTel, a telecommunications subsidiary of the Williams Companies in Tulsa. He became a five-time recipient of the WilTel Presidents Club Award.
During this time, Ramsay and a team of executives planned and executed several acquisitions, along with negotiating large domestic and international customer contracts. The company was ultimately acquired by Verizon, and he retired from there in 2007 as Director of Global Wholesale Accounts. Since leaving Verizon, Ramsay has been developing a portrait and event photography business, along with an internet marketing company.
Ramsay has been actively involved in civic and community activities for many years including the United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Junior Achievement and the Adopt a School program. He believes that his OMA experience had a major positive influence in his life and has strived to preserve the OMA legacy by being very active in the OMA Alumni Association, serving as President of the Board of Directors for three years, and playing a key role in the production of the OMA documentary. Ramsay still plays his guitar and harmonica around town occasionally, and he and his wife Deann reside in Tulsa, enjoying their three children and four grandchildren.
Perry D. “BUD” Inhofe ‘50
2017 Hall of Fame Honoree
Perry D. “Bud” Inhofe attended OMA until 1950 and has made notable accomplishments ever since that time. Inhofe began in the insurance business in 1952 as a claims adjuster with Tri State Insurance Company. Inhofe worked his way up in the insurance business gaining increasing responsibility including positions as claims representative, underwriter, assistant vice president, vice president, and executive vice president culminating in being named as president and CEO of the Mid-Continent Casualty Company in 1970.
Bud married his junior high and high school sweetheart Margaret Giddens in 1952. At her insistence, he attended night school at the University of Tulsa, where he earned his law degree in 1958.
Inhofe not only served his company, he devoted time and energy to the insurance industry by serving as a director of the National Association of Independent Insurers, which is the world’s largest insurance trade association. He became chairman of the organization’s board in 1983. Other business interests include directorship with a local Tulsa bank, a director of the American Cellular Telephone Company and a director of Taft Broadcasting.
Inhofe is a former member, deacon, and elder of the First Christian Church in Tulsa and is a past president of the board of Chapel by the Sea in South Padre Island, Texas, where he continues to serve on the board of directors. He also serves on the board of visitors for Scott and White, a large healthcare facility in central Texas.
Bud and Margaret have been married 65 years and since his retirement in 1990, they have resided in South Padre Island. Bud has earned the rank of Silver Life Master in duplicate bridge. He is an instrument-rated pilot, and he and Margaret have flown their personal prop jet all over North America.
Bud and Margaret have two daughters, Melinda and Marilyn; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Robert A. (Bob) Wright ’53
2017 Hall of Fame Honoree
Robert A. (Bob) Wright attended public school in Oklahoma City before enrolling at Oklahoma Military Academy as a sophomore. He graduated from OMA in 1953 with the rank of Platoon Master Sargent. His platoon, under the command of Lt. Harry Porch, was the outstanding platoon that year. Having lettered in four sports during his senior year, he was awarded the Outstanding High School Athlete trophy.
Wright enrolled at Oklahoma A&M in the School of Architecture and his freshman year was selected to play on the Oklahoma A&M freshman basketball team under legendary Coach Henry Iba. During his senior year, he taught a design course for freshman students. He graduated in 1958 from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture.
His first employment was with an Oklahoma City architecture firm, Caudill Rowlett Scott. Transferring to the Houston office, he was promoted to an associate with large project responsibilities. His work included many of the original space lab buildings for NASA at the Johnson Space Center. He was also responsible for numerous projects through-out the United States including significant projects at Harvard and Duke universities.
In 1966, he returned to Oklahoma City to become principal and shareholder with the firm Locke Smith, which became Locke Smith Wright. The firm today is known as LWPB Architecture and is celebrating its 54th year in business, with offices in Oklahoma City and Norman. Among the many projects he was involved with was the former Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and numerous educational, commercial, public and financial institutions throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Arkansas. He designed projects for Rogers State University in Claremore and Pryor and numerous projects for the Claremore school system, most recently the high school gymnasium and numerous classroom additions.
The Oklahoma State University School of Architecture asked him to develop a course in construction document for the senior class. He developed this course and was the instructor for four semesters while working full time at LWPB Architecture.
He was asked by the OMA Alumni Board to help develop a KIA Memorial to honor OMA Cadets who gave their lives in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars. The memorial has become a focal point on this campus honoring former OMA cadets and their sacrifice.
His local Oklahoma activities included two terms as President of the Central Oklahoma Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), President of the Oklahoma City Downtown Lions Club, Chairman of the AIA fund raising golf tournament, Assistant Coach for the 1st Tee organization of Oklahoma City serving underprivileged youth, and numerous activities at the Methodist Church of the Servant.
Wright was selected as an OMA Distinguished Alumni in 2002 and established the Verna J. Wright Student Academic Scholarship honoring his mother, who sacrificed dearly to send him to Oklahoma Military Academy.
He is very proud of his family, including his wife Carolyn, six children, 21 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
Wright said he was deeply honored to be selected for the Hall of Fame and he shares this award with so many OMA Alumni who had a very positive influence in his life.
Mr. Reciel Eugene Little, ‘56
2016 Hall of Fame Honoree
Gene Little arrived at the OMA Campus in fall 1951 and he went on to complete three years in High School and two years at OMA Junior College before graduating in 1956. During his time on ‘The Hill,’ he received numerous honors including Best Drilled Platoon, Best Drilled Company and Best Drilled Cadet, Distinguished Military Student, Outstanding Cadet Identification Disk and was OMA Marching Band Commander. He also was selected as Battalion Commander for War Board.
He went on to attend Oklahoma A&M College and the University of Tulsa, before enlisting in the U.S. Navy after he was offered a spot in its “A” School, where he earned a Special Electronics Technician rating. He said his five years at OMA made the Navy boot camp experience “a breeze” and he earned the American Spirit Honor Award at Final Parade.
His first duty station was at the Naval Air Station Alameda in California, where he was assigned to a P2V “sub hunter” squadron. The following year, he was assigned to a new AWACS squadron in Hawaii. These “Super Connies” would routinely fly from Midway Island to Alaska, which was a 15-hour flight. During these flights, they would serve as “the Pacific Barrier” for any aircraft coming from Russia. Two years later, he was assigned to the radar shop on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state.
After his Navy service, he worked for Teledyne Semiconductor designing and building integrated circuits for 17 years, then joined Philips Semiconductor as a fabrication planning manager for the U.S. plant in Orem, Utah. He also served at fabrication facilities in Caen, France and the Netherlands. After 21 years with the company, he retired in 2001.
In 2003, he moved back to Oklahoma, and shortly afterwards was asked if he would like to take over as Curator of the OMA Museum at Rogers State University. His work with the museum has been transformative, as he has helped renovate the Museum from top to bottom to best display OMA memorabilia, including items donated by alumni. Little also has been instrumental in efforts to provide frames for photos of all OMA students who were killed during WWII, Korea and Vietnam, as well as the displays for Distinguished Alumni and Hall of Fame honorees.
Mr. Walter Edwin Price, ‘44 (Posthumously)
2016 Hall of Fame Honoree
Walter Edwin Price passed away September 11, 2015 in his Stillwater home.
A descendent of two pioneer Tulsa families, the Prier Lee Prices and the Walter E. Broaches, he attended Tulsa Public Schools and graduated from the Oklahoma Military Academy, a horse cavalry ROTC unit.
Upon turning 18 in 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, but soon earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy. After graduation he completed Jump School before his combat deployment as a rifle company commander.
Upon his return from Korea, the Army sent Walter to Columbia University in New York City where he received a master’s degree in psychology in preparation to teach Military Psychology and Leadership at the Academy. While at Columbia, Walter met his future wife, Jane Ezell, a fellow Oklahoman.
After Walter completed Army Ranger training, they were married in April 1955 and he began teaching at West Point. Jane and Walter welcomed their first two sons while stationed at the Academy - Stuart and Douglas.
After teaching, Walter completed the Infantry Advanced Course and he and Jane began a three-year assignment in Germany. While in Europe, they had their third son, Roger.
Returning from Europe, Walter attended the Command General Staff College followed by a Senior Staff position with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Walter later served as an active duty ROTC instructor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. It was here that he and Jane realized they had finally found their home and Jane gave birth to their youngest son, John.
Walter’s next assignment was a combat deployment in Vietnam as an Infantry Battalion Commander with the 101st Airborne. Walter considered this the height of his military career because of the brave soldiers under his command. Following one final assignment at Ft. Leonard Wood, the Price family returned to settle permanently in Stillwater.
Walter continued to work, serving in the administrations of two governors and later finishing his career in the banking industry. Walter participated in multiple civic and service organizations. Walter was active in the OMA Alumni Association for more than 30 years and was named an OMA Distinguished Alumni in 2007. He was a cofounder of the Stillwater Humane Society, a city commissioner, and a proud supporter of a number of other organizations including St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Walter said, “When you’re almost ninety, only four things matter: God, Country, Family and Friends.” He claimed to have the best “roster of friends” a man could ask for.
Walter is survived by his wife of over sixty years, Jane, son Stuart, Stuart’s wife Beverly, granddaughter, Kelsey Case, sons Douglas and Roger, son John and daughter-in-law Suzee, and their children Quentin, MacGregor, Payton and Ellery.
William J. Daugherty, Ph.D., '65
2015 Hall of Fame Honoree
Dr. William Daugherty retired in 2011 from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia, where he taught courses in American government, foreign policy, national security, and four areas of constitutional law. Dr. Daugherty joined the AASU faculty in September 1996, after serving for more than 17 years in the Central Intelligence Agency as an operations officer.
During his CIA career, Dr. Daugherty served in operational assignments in the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Europe, specializing in counter terrorism. He subsequently served in staff and managerial assignments in Washington, D.C., as well as a tour as an instructor training junior officers in operational methods and techniques. His final assignment was in the area of covert action policy and included serving as a CIA liaison officer to the National Security Council staff. He was one of 53 American diplomats held hostage by Iranian militants while serving in the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, 1979-81.
Dr. Daugherty received his high school diploma from the Oklahoma Military Academy in 1965 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps the following year. He served as an air traffic controller before acceptance to Officers Candidate School in 1969. Commissioned as a second lieutenant, he attended flight training and, after graduating with as a Naval Flight Officer, subsequently flew with several Marine Fighter-Attack squadrons as a weapons system officer in the F-4 Phantom II aircraft.
His service included a tour in Vietnam, with 76 missions over North and South Vietnam and Laos while his squadron was deployed on the USS America. He left active duty in 1974, and completed his Reserve obligation in 1986 with the rank of Major. Dr. Daugherty earned a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the University of California-Irvine and a doctorate in government from the Claremont Graduate School, with a specialization in the Constitutional Law of American Foreign Policy.
His publications include "Executive Secrets: Covert Action and the Presidency" (University Press of Kentucky, 2004) and "In the Shadow of the Ayatollah: A CIA Hostage in Iran" (US Naval Institute Press, 2001).
His media work includes consultant for Warner Brothers Studio on the movie "Argo;" consultant to and participant in the documentary treatment of "Our Man in Tehran: The True Story Behind the Secret Mission to Save Six Americans in the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Foreign Ambassador Who Worked with the CIA to Bring Them Home" and on-camera appearances for documentaries.
Dr. Daugherty's honors and awards include: Department of State Medal of Valor (State's highest), CIA Exceptional Service Medal, Foreign Service Association's W. Averell Harriman Award, CIA Exceptional Performance Award (2), Claremont Colleges Man of the Year 1981; charter inductee into the Claremont Graduate School Hall of Fame; Intercollegiate Studies Institute Paolucci/Bagehot Award for best book, 2004; Distinguished Alumni Award, Oklahoma Military Academy Alumni Association 2009; Georgia State House of Representatives Resolution of Recognition and Commendation for 46 years of Public Service (HR 645-2013).
Senator Gene Howard, '43
2015 Hall of Fame Honoree
Senator Gene Howard attended OMA for three years before enlisting in the Army in 1944. He served at Leyte and Luzon and then Japan after the war ended.
Upon his discharge, he attended Muskogee Junior College for one year and then enrolled in the University of Oklahoma where he obtained his law degree in 1951. That same year, he set up a law partnership with his close friend, Lloyd Larkin, which continues today.
In 1953, the Tulsa County Bar Association named him the Outstanding Young Attorney for that year. Howard was elected in 1958 to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and in 1964 he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate, where he served six years as President Pro Tempore.
During this time he continued his military service, being recalled to active duty for the Berlin Crisis (1961-62). He retired as a lieutenant colonel following 20 years of active and reserve service.
Howard then returned to public service in 1990 when he took over as chairman of the Oklahoma State and Education Group Insurance Board, leaving in 1998 to become a trustee of the Oklahoma College Savings and Loan.
Upon being informed of his being inducted into the OMA Alumni Hall of Fame, Howard said, "This is one of the greatest honors of my life. It was OMA which framed my values and gave me what I needed to have a productive life."
Howard is in the process of retiring from his law firm and looking forward to spending full time with his wife and family.
Mr. Patrick Jordan, '63 (Posthumously)
2015 Hall of Fame Honoree
Patrick Jordan grew up in small town Oklahoma helping his father with all farming chores, including driving tractors and wheat trucks when he could barely see above the steering wheel. As he grew, his parents decided that he needed more life experiences than he would get on the family farm.
In 1959, Jordan began his education at the Oklahoma Military Academy where he completed his junior and senior years in high school and his first two years of college.
While at OMA, he was a member of the Drill Team, Saber Society, and participated in the Cadet Capers and the Fort Sill Summer Camp. His honors included Merit Ribbon, Military Proficiency Ribbon, Best Drill Platoon and Outstanding Company.
Jordan often spoke of the outstanding education he received and the wonderful lifelong friends that he made. Following his graduation from OMA, he attended the University of Oklahoma and Southwestern Oklahoma State University where he received degrees in history and education.
Jordan served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1973, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. The first was as an Armored Platoon Leader and his second as an Advisor to a South Vietnamese Armored Unit. He was awarded many medals including Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. After his second tour in Vietnam, he became a recruiter in the state of Washington. Although he enjoyed working with the high school students, in 1973 he made the decision to return to Oklahoma and his first love, farming and ranching. He continued this occupation until his death on August 17, 2014.
Jordan was very patriotic and loved hosting friends and family at his annual Independence Day celebration where his love for his country would shine through. He was proud to have been given the opportunity to serve his country during its time of need and would have returned to its defense again during these troubling times if age and health had allowed.
The Honorable James O. Ellison, '46
2014 Hall of Fame Honoree
James O. Ellison graduated from high school at OMA in 1946. He attended the academy under a work scholarship program by which he received credit on tuition in exchange for work performed in the mess hall. He states that this arrangement, coupled with the school's education and military training, developed a sense of responsibility shared by other OMA graduates.
Upon graduation, Ellison attended the University of Missouri for a year before transferring to the University of Oklahoma where he received dual bachelor's degrees in political science and law in 1951.
He served on active duty with the U.S. Army for two and a half years until his discharge in 1953. He later became a member of the 45th Infantry Division, Oklahoma National Guard, where he served from 1955 through 1963.
Upon his release from active duty in 1953, Judge Ellison opened a one-man law practice in Red Fork, Okla., with his wife Jody acting as his secretary. He continued as a solo practitioner until 1955 when he joined Byron Boone and eventually became a senior partner in the law firm of Boone, Ellison and Smith with the addition of L.K. Smith as a partner. The firm grew in size and reputation into a major Tulsa law firm.
In 1979, Ellison was nominated by Senator David Boren and appointed by President Carter as U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma. He served in that capacity as both active and senior judge until 2005 when he became an inactive U.S. District Judge.
During his legal career, Ellison served as Trustee of the following entities: Hillcrest Medical Center; Columbia College, Columbia, Mo.; University of the Ozarks, Clarksville, Ark.; and the Mary C. Alexander Trust.
He received the Rogers State University Constitutional Award in 2000.
About the Hall of Fame award, Ellison said, "What makes this a significant and unique honor is the knowledge of the long line of OMA cadets who left this Hill to serve their country in many ways; a great number of whom lost their lives in that service. I remember them each time I come back. All honor belongs to them."
Mr. Phil Goldfarb, '69
2014 Hall of Fame Honoree
Phil Goldfarb attended OMA from 1966 to 1969, graduating high school in 1967 and Junior College in 1969. During his last year at OMA, he was a Cadet Captain and the Adjutant for the Corps of Cadets.
While a President and Dean's honor roll student at OMA, he was awarded the Outstanding Cadet Identification Disk, selected for Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges, held the Academic Achievement Wreath, Military Proficiency Ribbon, member of the Judges Bench, Honor Court Committee, Platoon Leader of the Best Drilled Platoon, Best Drilled Company, Cheerleader, Cadet Capers, Chevron Society, New Cadet Detail, and was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Saber Society as well as his Junior College Sophomore Class.
He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences followed by graduate school at the University of Oklahoma where he majored in Pharmacy and Business. After Pharmacy School, he fulfilled his active military commitment at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas in the Medical Service Corps where he was an Administrative Officer at Brooke Army Medical Center, retiring as a Captain, USAR.
In 1975 he began his business career with Bristol Myers, where after five years he became the youngest District Manager in the Company's history at that time with sales and marketing responsibilities over four States. In 1988 he started with a small medical communications company and in a 10 year period; help build it from sales of $5 million to $250 million before assisting in taking the company public. After five years as a public company, it was bought by Cardinal Health, a Fortune 19 company where he worked for five additional years before retiring as Vice President of Operations.
After his early retirement, Phil started his own healthcare consulting company, was the founding and current president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tulsa, as well as being a board member and officer of the Sherwin Miller Museum of Art. In 2013, he assisted the new Military History Museum in Broken Arrow, OK with their opening as the Preparator and Curator. He has written articles and lectured extensively on various topics in genealogy and in 2014 published his first book in a series titled A Page of History: Passport Applications 1851-1914.
As a Board Member, Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President and President-elect of the OMA Alumni Association, he spearheaded the "Finding Lost Alumni Project" which has resulted to date in the location of over 1,300 living alumni who were "lost" and in addition has found over 950 "lost alumni" who were deceased. Phil has also been on the Hall of Fame/Distinguished Alumni Selection Committee for seven years and was the Chairman for three years. Phil and his wife of over 38 years Lisa, have two children and two grandchildren.
Mr. George D. Hudman, LTC, USA, Ret., '53 (Posthumously)
2013 Hall of Fame Honoree
A 1991 OMA Distinguished Alumnus, Lt. Col. George Hudman could trace his successful military and business careers to his time spent on "The Hill." Hudman, who passed away in June 2012, entered the Oklahoma Military Academy in 1949.
By the time he graduated from OMA in 1953, he left an indelible mark on the school and its football program, where he was recognized as a Junior College All-American fullback. Hudman is enshrined in the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame and is the only player in OMA's history to have been named an All-American. His senior year, the football team scored a total of 190 points, of which Hudman was responsible for 19 touchdowns and 19 extra points, accounting for 70 percent of the team's total offense that year. He also lettered in basketball, baseball and track.
Hudman served as president of his junior college sophomore class, was Corps Adjutant and designated a distinguished military graduate. After graduating from OMA, he received a management degree from the University of Tulsa in 1955 and later earned a master's degree in economics from Louisiana State University in 1960.
Hudman was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1955 and was stationed in Korea. He was a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He also completed Airborne training, Ranger training and the defense attache' course. He later served in Italy before returning with the 1st Air Cavalry to duty in Vietnam, where he was a highly decorated officer.
He retired from active duty in 1976 at the rank of lieutenant colonel. Among his honors, Hudman received the legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star, Air Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Joint Services Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.
In the private sector, he opened a successful private investigation company and later served as president and CEO of Selected Financial Services, a full-service brokerage firm in Arizona. He also served as chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission for Paradise Valley, Ariz., and was past president of the Arizona Association of Mortgage Brokers.
Brigadier General Preston Wood, USMC, Retired (Posthumously)
2013 Hall of Fame Honoree
When Brigadier General Preston Wood retired from the Marine Corps in 1957, he returned to his native Oklahoma a highly decorated veteran with a list of military accomplishments to his name. But according to his stepdaughter, Jan Bartlett, he never forgot his years at OMA. As a matter of fact, she relates that he mentioned them often and that she remembers him being actively involved in trying to keep the school going.
"OMA was a really important part of his life," says Jan. "When he retired from the military and moved back to the Tulsa area, we were always running into people he knew from OMA."
Even though the general became a career military man, it was his years of playing polo at OMA that formed the fondest memories for him. An avid horseman and polo player, he lettered in polo during his last year at OMA and remembered when Will Rogers took an interest in OMA's polo team. After finishing at OMA, Wood went on to get a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Oklahoma and played on their polo team, as well.
While at OU, Wood participated in the ROTC program and was an honor student, just as he had been at OMA. His OMA and ROTC training served him in good stead as he received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps after graduating from OU in 1936. From there, he began a highly successful and illustrious Marine Corps career that would span over two decades and take him far from his birthplace in Poteau, Okla.
Wood served on the Pacific front in WWII in the campaigns of Guadalcanal, New Guinea, New Britain, Pavuvu and Peleliu. Following the war, he served for a time in China. By the time he retired in 1957, he had risen to the rank of brigadier general and had amassed a host of medals and decorations, including three Bronze Stars (one with Combat "V"), the Navy Unit Commendation, the American Defense Service Medal with Base Clasp, the American Area Campaign Medal with one silver star, the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal, the China Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
Following his military retirement, Wood worked for several companies engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of a patented line of punch card trays, files and data processing equipment. He served as vice president and production manager for Ray Myers Co. of Endicott, NY from 1957 to 1958. He was product manager of data processing accessories with Diebold, Inc. of Canton, Ohio from 1958 to 1961, where he designed several improvements and held a patent for the tabulating card file tray.
He resigned from Diebold in 1961 in order to be eligible for active duty assignment in the Marine Corps during the Lebanon crisis that year was of short duration and his service was not required. He retired fully from his business career at this point and returned to his home state of Oklahoma.
He married Dorothy Irwin, a teacher in the Bixby Public School Systems, in 1967 and became an involved member of the Bixby community. He was a member of the Bixby Masonic Lodge and the Bixby Chamber of Commerce. He was also a member of the First United Methodist Church of Bixby. He passed away at home on May 8, 1974 and was buried with full military honors at Fort Gibson National Cemetery.
Mr. Randy Vierling, ‘63
2012 Hall of Fame Honoree
A former president of the Oklahoma Military Academy Alumni Association,Randy Vierling said the institution provided him with preparation for a successful aviation career and created a network of friendships that continue to this day.
OMA roots run deep with Vierling, who graduated from OMA high school in 1961 and junior college in 1963.
During his time on the Hill, he was a member of the Saber Society, Chevron Society, Judges Bench, Honor Committee, Honor Court, MC Cadet Capers, and the Drill Team. He also was an Assistant Commander, speaker for Ambassadors of Americanism, delegate for the Oklahoma Youth Conference in 1961, Company Commander “C” Company, and Battle Group Adjutant (S-1).
In addition, he lettered in track in 1959, received an Outstanding Cadet Identification Disc Merit Ribbon, an Athletic Ribbon, and was the Secretary/Treasurer of his junior college sophomore class.
Following graduation, Vierling made his entry into the aviation industry. In 1966, he began his professional flying career as a flight instructor/ground school instructor at TRAEX Aviation in Oklahoma City. He was hired by TWA in 1969 and later served as chief pilot for various companies, including Furrs Inc. in Lubbock, Texas. While in Lubbock, he established a Cessna dealership and Aircraft Service Co., which earned the National Business Aircraft Association commendation for excellence in service during the company’s second year of operation.
He later returned to TWA where he served as captain instructor/check airman, helping mentor pilot students to become successful at the company. He retired in 2002 from American Airlines, which had purchased the company the previous year.
Following his retirement, he remained an active pilot serving a number of companies and individuals, including Dorchester Capital and the owner of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. He has served as an accident prevention counselor for the Federal Aviation Administration. Vierling has logged more than 27,000 accident-free hours during his more than four decades of flying.
In addition to his aviation career, he also has been active in his church, teaching Sunday School for college-age students and adults during the years. He has two adult children, his daughter, Tracy and his son Andrew, and one granddaughter. Vierling says he is humbled by the Hall of Fame nomination.
“When I compare what the men named on our KIA Memorial have given, I have given nothing,” he says. “But I am glad to have been a part of building the memorial and advancing the mission of the OMA Alumni Association. The friendships I have made during this time are far more priceless to me than any honor I could receive.”
- 2010: William R. (Bob) Corlett ‘62
- 2009: Hugh E. Miller ‘53
- 2008: Bill Harris ‘54
- 2007: 1st Lieutenant Stephen Beals (KIA) ‘62 (posthumously) | Jack Harris ‘55
- 2006: Maj. John B. Stizza ‘59 (posthumously) | Maj. Gen. Michael A. Kuehr ‘68
- 2005: Joe Hedrick ‘48 | Harry Poarch ‘53 | Jack Short ‘59
- 2004: James R. Elder ‘67
- 2003: Gary Henry ‘50 (posthumously) | William R. O’Brien ‘41 | Joel Owens ‘40 | Ted Wright ‘52
- 2002: Alex Adwan ‘48 | Col. Arthur Frank Cochran ‘45
- 2001: Col. Bobbie Brashear ‘50 | Matt Braun ‘53 | Col. Charles Kegleman ‘34 (posthumously)
- 2000: Anthony M. Massad ‘47 | Capt. Walter E. Downs, Jr. ‘40 (posthumously)
- 1999: Charles Wayne Ellinger ‘53 (posthumously)
- 1998: Col. James R. Spurrier ‘38
- 1997: Col. Robert Lewis ‘40 | Maj. Gen. Timothy Malishenko ‘63 | Richard Mosier (Honorary)
- 1996: Col. James H. Morrison ‘52
- 1995: Col. John E. Horne ‘39
- 1994: Lt. Col. Edwin P. Ramsey ‘37
- 1993: Maj. Gen. Rollen H. Anthis ‘34 | Brig. Gen. Orlin L. Mullen ‘61
- 1992: Dale Robertson ‘42
- 1991: Brig. Gen. Clifford A. Druit ‘54
- 1990: Maj. Gen. William Burke ‘41 | Brig. Gen. William Hamrick ‘32
- 1989: A. Blaine Imel ‘41
- 1988: Jim Barker ‘55 | Brig. Gen. Judson Miller ‘42
- 1984: Lt. Gen. William E. Potts ‘41