Brent Shoulders displays a plaque given to him by Dr. Sara Jane Richter, right, at the recent reception honoring the Centennial Committee. Chaired by Richter, a group of dedicated OPSU faculty, staff, and friends began working in the summer of 2007 to commemorate OPSU’s 100 years of education and celebrations wrapped up last fall. — Hector Cobos photo
By Ryan Bramblett, Collegian reporter
Goodwell, Okla. — OPSU celebrated 100 years of education last year, but the planning began in the summer of 2007, when a committee was formed to plan various activities to honor the school’s Centennial. Chaired by Dr. Sara Jane Richter, the committee was made up of faculty and staff members, student representatives, and friends that included Troy Morris, President of the Panhandle State Association of Alumni and Friends; Tito Aznar, English Instructor; Doris Looper, Executive Secretary of the Panhandle State Foundation; Evlyn Schmidt, Marvin E. McKee Library Director; Brent Shoulders, Art and Humanities Instructor; Jerry Mihelic, Education Instructor; Eric Begley, High School and Community Relations Director; Jessica Lofland, Student Services Director; Carlee Scofield, Katie Wiggins, and J. B. Test, Student Body Representatives; Dr. Wayne Manning, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Outreach; Larry Peters, Vice President of Fiscal Affairs; David Miller, Assistant Professor of Business and Economics; and Gus Blackwell, State Representative.
The committee designed the OPSU Centennial logo which has been featured on banners, pins, patches, and even steins hand crafted by Brent Shoulders. The dedicated group also planned and carried out a number of campus events, developed and put in place building biographies, the new Centennial Park and carried out other campus improvements to name just a few of their activities.
On Monday, Feb. 1, 2010, OPSU honored these achievements and many more at reception held in the lobby of Hughes-Strong Hall. A large group of students and staff showed up to honor the Committee for their hard work and dedication. OPSU President Dr. David Bryant thanked the Committee on behalf of everyone at OPSU. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed some free food courtesy of OPSU, but let’s not forget the real reason for the celebration. The Centennial Committee has done a lot for OPSU in the last three years, and we appreciate each dedicated individual who worked tirelessly to commemorate the occasion.
