The Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology community is mourning the loss of Dale Floyd Janes, a 1950 graduate and former faculty member whose leadership helped shape safety education at OSU for generations of students.

Janes died Sept. 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. He was 99.

Born Jan. 17, 1927, in De Queen, Arkansas, Janes’ connection to OSU began in the fall of 1946, when he arrived on the Oklahoma A&M College campus after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Like thousands of veterans returning home after the war, Janes was eager to pursue a college education. He knew he wanted to become an engineer, and while many universities had capped enrollment because of the influx of returning veterans, Oklahoma A&M welcomed him.

That opportunity changed the course of his life and ultimately allowed him to change the lives of countless students who followed.

Janes earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and management in 1950. That same year, he married his hometown sweetheart, Betty Jo Penney, who remained by his side throughout much of his career. The couple welcomed their son, Nolen, in 1953.

Janes spent the next 21 years working as an engineer and safety professional, developing expertise in workplace safety and risk management as the field grew in importance across American industry. In 1963, he received national recognition from the American Society of Safety Engineers for his research and technical literature on industrial safety.

In 1971, an opportunity brought Janes back to Stillwater and began what would become one of the most consequential chapters of his career.

Following the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, OSU recognized the growing demand for professionals trained in workplace safety, industrial hygiene and industrial security. Janes returned to the university as a professor and head of Fire Protection Technology, where he began developing upper-level coursework to prepare students for careers in the rapidly evolving safety profession.

Under his leadership, the department expanded beyond its existing associate degree program and developed a bachelor’s degree curriculum. In 1974, OSU celebrated the first graduates of the newly established baccalaureate program, helping lay the foundation for what is now OSU’s nationally recognized fire protection and safety engineering technology program.

After a decade at OSU, Janes returned to industry in 1981, serving as manager of safety for Koch Industries at its Corpus Christi, Texas, oil refinery. He retired in 1989 and returned with Betty Jo to De Queen.

Although his professional career had ended, his connection to OSU remained strong.

In 2008, OSU established the Dale F. Janes Professorship in recognition of his contributions to safety education and the students he served. The professorship was supported by 528 individual contributors, a testament to the influence Janes had on former students, colleagues and the safety profession.

His legacy at OSU extends far beyond the program he helped build. It lives on through the generations of graduates who have carried their education into careers protecting people, workplaces and communities.

Janes was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Betty Jo, and his parents, Rufus Edward and Ivy Irene Honnell Janes. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Nolen and Linda Janes; grandchildren Tina Snouffer and her husband, Ron, and Jason Janes and his wife, Jacqueline; great-grandsons Ronnie Snouffer, Jaxon Janes and Jace Janes; sisters Nelda Williams and Nila Sue Wilson; and numerous extended family members and friends.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Memorial Missionary Baptist Church in De Queen. Burial with military rites will follow at Redmen Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at Chandler Funeral Home in De Queen. 

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be made to Gideons International or Memorial Missionary Baptist Church in De Queen.