Anthony “Tony” Massad, an attorney, former member of the Oklahoma Senate and graduate of the Oklahoma Military Academy from Frederick, Okla., will be named the recipient of the Rogers State University Constitution Award at a ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Bailey Education Center in Owasso.
Each fall since 1987, RSU has presented the Constitution Award to an Oklahoman who has demonstrated a strong commitment to the principles of the Constitution through his or her life’s work.
“We are proud and honored to present Mr. Massad with this distinguished award,” said RSU President Joe Wiley. “As a lifelong public servant, he has diligently guarded the principles of the U.S. Constitution and has advanced the well-being of the state of Oklahoma through his service as a State Senator and attorney.”
Past recipients of the RSU Constitution Award include Lee R. West, Lyle Boren, Fred Daugherty, Ross Swimmer, Carl Albert, William J. Holloway, Jr., Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Henry Bellmon, Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, Patience Latting, Marian P. Opala, David Boren, Hannah Diggs Atkins, William J. Crowe, Jr., James O. Ellison, Alex Adwan, Thomas R. Brett, G.T. Blankenship, Charles Ford, Penny Williams and Gov. George Nigh.
Lee R. West, last year’s recipient, will present the award to Massad.
Massad is a 1947 graduate of the OMA, the predecessor institution of RSU. He was selected as an OMA Distinguished Alumnus in 1997 and inducted into the OMA Hall of Fame in 2000.
He received a law degree in 1955 and a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1949 from the University of Oklahoma. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the OU Foundation and the Board of Visitors of the OU Law School.
As a lifelong practicing attorney and former prosecutor in Tillman County, Okla., he is a senior member of the law firm of Massad, Evans and Kent, Inc.
He served as a senator in the Oklahoma Senate for four years. As a member of the Senate, he was a principal legislative author of judicial reform and was selected as an Outstanding Member of the Senate by the Tulsa World.
He received a Presidential Citation and also was made an honorary member of the Cherokee Nation in 1997.
He served on the City Council of Frederick and was attorney for the Frederick Public Schools for 40 years. He is the past present of the Oklahoma Bar Association and Tillman County Bar Association. He has received many honors and awards including the Distinguished Service Award from the American Bar Association, Award of Merit from the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and Governor’s Award for his service on the Oklahoma Council of Judicial Complaints.
His military service includes Retired Reserve – Major in 1968; member of the 95th Division of the Reserves in 1960; 45th Division, Reserves in 1953; overseas duty with the Second Armored Division, 1950-1952; active duty during the Korean War, 1950; Commissioned Second Lieutenant, Tank Corp, 1949; active duty, Camp Hood, Texas, Second Armored Division, 1945; and Reserve Officers Training Corps, 1943-1947.
He and his wife Mary, who are lifelong residents of Frederick, have three children and six grandchildren.
The Constitution Award ceremony and luncheon are sponsored by Jan Miller and the Bank of Commerce.
The Bailey Education Center is located at 10502 N. 110th East Ave. in Owasso. For more information about the event, call (918) 343-7773.