Eastern Oklahoma State College, Press Release, Local Educator Joins Elite Group In Hall Of Fame

Eastern Oklahoma State College Homecoming will present a special day for Talihina Superintendent of Schools Ray Henson who will be returning to the Wilburton campus Saturday, November 6.

Ray Henson Henson has been named by the Eastern Alumni Association Board of Directors to take his place in the Eastern Alumni Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies at the annual Homecoming banquet.

Saturday will be the day for alums to join the activities and reunite with their classmates for a full day and evening of activities.

Alumni will honor Henson as the twenty-first Eastern student to have distinguished himself throughout his life since attending Eastern and officially induct him into the Hall of Fame during the Saturday evening banquet.

Alumni activities will begin early Saturday with a 9:30 a.m. Hilltopper breakfast for retired faculty and staff followed by an Alumni Coffee and Registration at 10 a.m. in the Student Union Coffee Shop and an 11 a.m. General Alumni meeting.

A free lunch will be available for everyone attending the activities from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The Lady Mountaineers will begin their basketball game at 1:30 p.m. in the Field House followed by the men's game at 3:30 p.m. with homecoming coronation at the men's game.

Henson will be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame during the 6:30 p.m. homecoming banquet and a Homecoming dance will begin at 10 p.m. and last until 1 a.m. Sunday.

As a nationally recognized school administrator, Henson now serves as Talihina Superintendent of Schools.

His distinguished educational career began in 1966 as a classroom science teacher in Kinta. Two years later, he became High School Principal and Basketball coach at Glenpool followed by thirty-three years of service in the Talihina public school system.

Henson received the Associate of Science from Eastern in 1964, the Bachelor of Science from Northeastern Oklahoma State University in 1966, the Master of Science in School Administration from Tulsa University in 1970 and his professional certificate in superintendent studies from the University of Oklahoma in 1972.

In April 2000 Henson was elected President of the National Board of North Central Association. He served as National NCA Vice President, State Committee Chairperson, a member of the Executive Board, Chairperson of the Executive Board and was awarded an honorary lifetime membership. He has also served as President of the State North Central Association, Oklahoma Association Serving Impacted Schools, National Council for Impacted Schools, LeFlore County Oklahoma Educators’ Association and a member of the State Superintendent’s Advisory Council.

He was appointed to the White House Indian Committee-Conference, an organizer and Chairperson of the Tri-County Superintendents Association, Chairperson of Region IX School to Work, Executive Board Member of the National Indian Impact Aid Association, a member of the Board of Directors of Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activity Association, Adult Education State President, member of the State Education Advisory Council and Southeastern Oklahoma Education Advisory Council and served as Chairperson of Bilingual Education to promote bilingual educational with special attention to the Native American student.

He was named to Who’s Who in Public Administrators for recognition of nationally significant school administration, named Outstanding Young Man of Talihina, Talihina Citizen of the Year and served as President of the Talihina Chamber of Commerce, Talihina Lions Club President and Chairperson of the Talihina Housing Authority.

“Through the thirty-three years and the many changes that have taken place in our country, the Talihina School has never lost sight of our vision for excellence,” Henson said.

“My legacy as an educator will be that I have been a part of this positive development.

“The national and state offices I have held or in which I am currently serving, enable me to bring successful innovative educational reforms back to our local school.”

Saturday evening, Henson will join McAlester native George Nigh who served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Lieutenant Governor, Governor and president of the University of Central Oklahoma.

He will also join Dr. E.T. Dunlap, who was recognized nationally for his contribution to education and served as Eastern President and Chancellor of Oklahoma Higher Education; Scott Salmon, who was a nationally known choreographer; Rita Smith Kipp, class of 1966, who serves as professor of anthropology at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, a widely published author and Wilburton native.

Henson also joins J.D. Williams who was inducted while an attorney in Washington, D.C., and, among other things, served as Editor of the George Washington Law Review and Federal Bar Journal.

Billy West became the sixth Eastern alumni to be elected to the Hall of Fame. West served as a laboratory research scientist at the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta. Sidney Carney, among other achievements, served as Bureau of Indian Affairs Area Director in Anadarko where he developed and supervised programs benefiting more than 40,000 Indians within a four state area.

Ross Harlan, Oklahoma City, was added to the Hall of Fame in 1992. He served as Senior Vice President of Administration and Public Affairs before his retirement from OG&E.

“Pat” Murphy, Tulsa, followed Harlan in 1993. He established the Frank W. Murphy MFR, an international company holding 15 United States and foreign patents in the area of instruments and control systems.

Sports journalist “Spec” Gammon was inducted in 1994. He served as sports information director at Texas A&M and became known as the radio voice of Texas A&M football. Don Parham became the eleventh member added to the Hall of Fame and began his academic career as an educator in southeast Oklahoma more than 40 years ago. He is recognized not only as one who has experienced success in athletics but also as one whose life’s work has stressed high academic standards.

Dr. Robert H. Purcell became the twelfth member. He is a research scientist and serves as the head of hepatitis viruses section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Charles Montgomery serves as the Director of the Center for Comparative Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is recognized as an expert in comparative medicine throughout the world.

Dr. Henry Migliore, Jenks, was added as the fourteenth member of the Hall of Fame. He is a university professor and consultant in strategic management. He has lectured in universities and consulted with organizations around the world.

James F. Howell became the fifteenth member of the Hall of Fame in 1999. He was admitted to practice law in Oklahoma in 1963 and since that time has been admitted to practice in the United States District Court of Oklahoma for the Western District; The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma; The United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit and The Supreme Court of the United States of America. He was elected to the State Senate in 1970 and served until 1986.

Guy L. Curry, class of 1961, became the sixteenth member of the Hall of Fame. Curry is a professor of industrial engineering at Texas A&M University. He has served as a consultant for a number of national and international firms. During his tenure at Texas A&M he has garnered funded research grants of more than $4 million, authored or coauthored three books and has 50 papers published in 31 refereed journals.

Ken Brasfield became the seventeenth member. He has compiled an outstanding record of corporate and community leadership in Jackson, Mississippi. He served as president of United Way, Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, Boy Scouts Council, American Cancer Society, Rotary and the Jackson Arts Council.

Dr. Sue Ellen Read was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002. She was named the 2001 Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. She received her Associate Degree from Eastern in 1962, Bachelors Degree from NSU in 1964, Masters from University of Central Oklahoma in 1971 and PhD. from the University of Oklahoma in 1987. She is currently a member of the NSU faculty.

Charles W. Davidson and John H. Hendrix became the nineteenth and twentieth members of the Hall of Fame last year. Although Davidson has lived in San Jose, CA, since May of 1952, he was born and raised in Pittsburg County near Bache and has never forgotten his roots that go as deep in Oklahoma as Indian Territory. He attended East Central, Eastern (1950-51), and later received a degree in civil engineering from San Jose State University. Davidson has been a homebuilder and developer and currently owns several construction an property management companies.

Hendrix has a myriad of life experiences beginning as high school student cutting pulpwood and logs with hay cutting and bailing tossed in for good measure to Chairman and President of numerous educational and financial boards including his own company, the John H. Hendrix Corporation. He graduated from high school at Gillham, AR, and attended Eastern where he received his Associate in Science Degree in 1956. He then attended Oklahoma State University earning his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Petroleum Option) in 1958 and his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1960.