Building on an Orange Legacy

Monday, October 22, 2012

By Terry Rush

Chuck and Kim Watson will celebrate 40 years of marriage in August 2012. Who knows how their lives — and the lives of many Oklahoma State University students — might have been different if not for the circumstances surrounding one fateful weekend in 1968.

Watson was an enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit who made his way to OSU that year in hopes of playing basketball for legendary Cowboys Coach Henry P. Iba. He never got that opportunity because of a back injury (and, in his words, a serious lack of talent), electing instead to concentrate on his education, Sigma Chi and campus leadership activities.

As the daughter of two diehard Oklahoma State wrestling fans, Kim Hogan knew that she would end up in Stillwater. A senior at Ponca City, Okla., High School who had recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend, she agreed to a blind date with a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity at OSU.

That date, however, was not with Chuck Watson. Kim’s blind date to the OSU-sponsored Varsity Revue talent show was with Chuck’s pledge son in the Sigma Chi house — until fate intervened (or maybe it was the flu or a migraine headache; who really remembers now?).

Watson did what any Sigma Chi would do: He stepped in for his pledge son at the last minute. Even though that meant showing up in his 1965 Chevrolet Impala unable to open the driver’s side door thanks to a recent accident. “It was the old Chevrolet Impala with bucket seats, so I had to climb over the bucket seats from the passenger side to get in. I’m surprised she even got in the car with me,” Watson says.

Hogan not only got into the car but the two became best friends over the course of the next several years, and the pair were married in 1972 after Watson completed work on his business degree from OSU.

Oklahoma State University has been an integral part of their lives from the day Chuck drove into Stillwater in his Chevy Impala as a wide-eyed freshman, not knowing a single person, throughout college careers that led to degrees in economics (for Chuck) and education (for Kim), and eventually for their three children who followed their parents’ legacy as OSU graduates.

“For me, OSU is where we met, and it turned out to be the four most incredible years of my life,” Chuck Watson says. “Since graduation, there’s always been a connection, and I truly wanted to stay involved at OSU. It gave me a great start and prepared me for who I am today so I’ve always felt compelled to help make OSU the best it can be.”

The power of an OSU education

Chuck Watson is a living testament as to what an Oklahoma State education, paired with ambition, hard work and perseverance, can attain. His résumé reads like a Who’s Who profile of success in the business world. He spent 13 years with Conoco before founding his own company, the Natural Gas Clearinghouse, which later became Dynegy. He later founded Eagle Energy Partners, which was acquired by Lehman Brothers. In 2010, Watson co-founded Twin Eagle Resource Management, where he serves as chairman. In addition, he is a minority owner of the NFL’s Houston Texans and was chairman of the 2004 Houston Super Bowl Host Committee.

Watson was inducted into the Spears School of Business Hall of Fame in 1996 and the OSU Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2001, he was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame and named a “Master Entrepreneur” by Ernst & Young. He received the Henry G. Bennett Distinguished Service Award from OSU in 2002.

Kim Watson also realizes the importance of an outstanding education. She earned a teaching degree from Oklahoma State and was inducted into the College of Education Hall of Fame in 2002. She is a distinguished teacher, speaker and philanthropist who is the vice president of Inspire Women, a ministry that inspires women to serve God’s purpose. She is working on a master’s degree in Christian leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. More importantly, the Houston residents are proud to be known as “Mimi” and “Papa” to their five grandchildren.

The Watsons have been supporters of OSU in numerous ways over the years, including a $2 million donation that led to the Watson Trading Floor in the Business Building. They endow the Watson Family Chair in Financial Risk Management and MSQFE held by finance professor Tim Krehbiel, and various other business and education endowed scholarships. They also endow full scholarships for the OSU basketball and wrestling teams in honor of Kim’s parents.

“OSU is just getting better and better every year, and for us to see the progress and to be a part of that, witnessing how it’s evolved and grown to touch so many lives over the years and well into the future, that’s a real blessing and something very special to our family,” Kim Watson says.

Backing words with action

The Watsons’ recent gift of cash, pledges and an estate commitment, when combined with matching gifts, will have a total impact of $36 million. The gift will help build the new home for the Spears School of Business and establish the Watson Graduate School of Management in honor of the OSU alumni, pending approval by the OSU Board of Regents.

“OSU has been talking about building a new business building for 10 years, if not more, and we’ve needed one for 20 years,” says Chuck Watson. “I have felt for some time that I wanted to help enable OSU to build a new business school. More importantly, the new building will allow a transformational change in the quality of the school and in its teachings for all students in the future.

“Oklahoma State has a good business school, but it could always be better. The reputation of OSU is so much more than the recognition we receive nationally. From its Midwest values, to the quality of students attending Oklahoma State, to the professors across the university, it is not just the School of Business that is seriously underrated.”

Watson believes the Watson Graduate School of Management, in addition to the new $90 million building to house the Spears School of Business, will greatly enhance the advanced learning opportunities for everyone, but especially graduate students.

“From the business school, we have graduated some incredibly successful business leaders throughout the globe. We have the graduate programs, the MBA and now doctorate programs, and I feel like there is so much more potential for these graduates to flourish under one roof. That’s how the really successful schools have their programs designed. Some of the best graduate schools are thought of separately (from undergraduate programs) and their reputations are unique,” says Chuck Watson.

The Watson Graduate School of Management will be under the direction of a new vice dean whose sole focus will be on graduate programs, and Watson believes that is going to make a huge difference.

“I’d like to bring OSU into that level of recognition around the world. I know we can get there,” he says. “Not only is the new school of business building going to help, but I think segmenting the graduate program is going to make a positive difference. Again, we’re in better shape than people think we are, so it’s not a huge leap of faith to say we can be a top-tier graduate school.”

Dean Larry Crosby of the Spears School of Business realizes that having supporters like Chuck and Kim Watson is not common, and he appreciates their efforts to improve the education opportunities for future students.

“Chuck is always encouraging us to raise our game. When he sees interesting things being done at other universities, he brings it to our attention. He’s just a real loyal, orange through-and through alumnus,” Crosby says.

“From the bottom of our hearts, we’re extremely appreciative of his passion for the business school and Oklahoma State. We truly thank Chuck and Kim for their leadership and the guidance they have provided and with their economic support of our programs. We are very proud to have Chuck as one of our most prestigious alumni, and that Kim is also one of our biggest supporters.”

But the Watsons aren’t making contributions to be recognized. They want to help make the Spears School into a school that is going strong when their five grandchildren, and maybe more to follow, arrive in Stillwater.

“To me, this is a way Kim and I can make a real difference,” Chuck says. “We have always believed that helping people and leaving the places they gather a little better than how you found them is our obligation and passion as human beings.”