Astronaut and Regents Chairman to speak at OSU Commencement

Friday, April 26, 2013

Astronaut Thomas Stafford and Oklahoma State University Regents Chairman Andy Lester will be the featured speakers for the OSU Commencement Ceremonies on Saturday, May 4, at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. Stafford is scheduled to speak at the first and second ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Lester will speak at the third ceremony at 4:30 p.m. 

OSU will award Stafford an honorary doctor of science degree for his contributions to space flight and aviation.

The 9:30 a.m. ceremony will recognize students from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the Spears School of Business. The 1 p.m. ceremony will recognize students from the College of Human Sciences and College of Arts and Sciences. The 4:30 p.m. ceremony will recognize students from the College of Education and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.

The OSU Graduate College Commencement ceremony for doctoral and masters’ degree recipients will start at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 3, in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. The hooding ceremony for DVM recipients from the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences will start at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Gallagher-Iba Arena. 

“Our commencement speakers have excelled in their chosen fields while serving the public from the courtroom to outer space,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “We are grateful and honored to have them share their experiences and insights with our graduates.” 

Thomas Stafford, a native Oklahoman from Weatherford, is an aviation pioneer who flew two Gemini space flights and commanded Apollo 10, which was the first mission to fly a lunar module to within 10 miles of the Moon’s surface. He also became the first general to fly in space when he commanded a joint U.S.-Soviet space mission in 1975, which connected the Apollo and Soyuz space vehicles. He met a cosmonaut in the connecting open hatch for a handshake that signaled a new beginning for the two countries.  

Stafford’s career included six rendezvous in space and more than 507 hours of actual space flight. He flew more than 120 types of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft and three types of spacecraft. Following his career with NASA, Stafford chaired a committee to independently advise the space agency. He co-founded a technical consulting firm in Alexandria, Virginia, and serves on the board of directors of nine corporations. To view a video of his career go to OStateTV - http://www.ostate.tv/?pid=J2M7db_TwdZS 

Andy Lester is chairman of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges Board of Regents. Appointed to the board in 2007, he was reappointed to a full eight-year term in 2010. Lester is a founding member of the law firm, Lester, Loving & Davies, in Edmond. He has a civil litigation and appellate practice that emphasizes civil rights, constitutional, business, and state and local government law.

While in law school, Lester served on President Ronald Reagan’s Transition Team for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Twenty years later, he chaired Governor Brad Henry’s Law Enforcement/Corrections Transition Team and was a member of the Budget/Finance Transition Team. For eight years, Lester served as a United States Magistrate Judge. He is also an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University School of Law. Lester has written more than 100 articles on professional and public policy issues, and authored the book “Constitutional Law and Democracy.”

The City of Tulsa Pipes and Drums will lead the Saturday processionals into Gallagher-Iba Arena where candidates will be seated by college. For additional details about OSU commencement, go to http://commencement.okstate.edu/