United States Senator Jim Inhofe received the Rogers State University Constitution Award today during a ceremony on the Claremore campus. Former Air Force officer and NASA astronaut Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford, USAF (Ret.) presented Inhofe with the high honor.
Each fall since 1987, RSU has presented the Constitution Award to an Oklahoman who has demonstrated a strong commitment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution through his or her life’s work. The RSU Constitution Award was established in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.
“We are honored to recognize Senator Inhofe with this distinguished award,” RSU President Dr. Larry Rice said. “He has served Oklahoma and the nation with distinction, and he has honorably upheld the principles of the U.S. Constitution.”
Inhofe is the senior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, a seat he was first elected to in 1994. A member of the Republican Party, he is the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2015 to 2017. Inhofe served as the U.S. Representative for Oklahoma’s first congressional district from 1987 to 1994 and as mayor of Tulsa from 1978 to 1984.
“I have had the fortune to have worked with many U.S. Congressmen, Senators, Presidents, and military and civilian leaders throughout my time in the Air Force, as an astronaut, and as a member of the public. In all that time, Senator Inhofe rises to the top,” Stafford said. “He makes decisions according to the Constitution. More than that, he embodies the Constitution in all his actions. No time was that clearer than his vote in January on the presidential election. The Constitution is clear in that elections are held and determined by the states. It must be the states. Senator Inhofe knows the Constitution. He knew it must be the states even when other members of our delegation did not. His unwavering commitment to the Constitution is what has made him a great public servant and U.S. Senator.”
In accepting the award, Inhofe spoke about the importance of the Constitution, to support and defend it ensuring the fundamental rights of life and liberty for every American.
Past recipients of the RSU Constitution Award include Louis W. Bullock, former Ambassador James Jones, U.S. District Judge David Russell, U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan, U.S. District Judge Joseph W. Morris, Senior Judge Stephanie K. Seymour, Chief Judge Robert Henry, Gov. Frank Keating, Judge Lee R. West, U.S. Rep. Lyle Boren, Judge Fred Daugherty, Chief Ross Swimmer, U.S. Speaker Carl Albert, Judge William J. Holloway, Jr., Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Gov. Henry Bellmon, Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, Mayor Patience Latting, Justice Marian P. Opala, Sen. David Boren, Hannah Diggs Atkins, Joint Chiefs Chairman William J. Crowe, Jr., Judge James O. Ellison, Alex Adwan, Judge Thomas R. Brett, G.T. Blankenship, Sen. Charles Ford, Sen. Penny Williams, Gen. Dennis Reimer, Mickey Edwards, Sen. Anthony Massad and Gov. George Nigh.