Four OSU faculty stars among inductees to Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Four distinguished Oklahoma State University faculty members are among this year’s class of inductees into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, selected by the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society.
Representing OSU in this year’s hall of fame class are Dr. Donna H. Branson, Regents Professor and expert in the design and production of protective clothing; Dr. Robert V. Miller, Regents Professor and prominent microbiologist; Dr. Karl N. Reid, influential and long-time engineering dean; and Dr. Ronald J. Tyrl, highly respected Emeritus Professor of Botany. For more on each OSU inductee, see below.
The formal induction ceremony and banquet will be held October 11 at the Jim Thorpe Museum in Oklahoma City. Biographical sketches and photos of all Higher Education Hall of Fame inductees, past and present, are displayed in the higher education exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center.
The Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society was established in 1991 as a nonprofit to support awareness of higher education’s vital role in Oklahoma history. The Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognize and honor individuals, living and deceased, for outstanding meritorious service to higher education in Oklahoma.
In addition to the OSU inductees, included in this year’s class are:
Dr. Charles W. Bert III (Norman, OK) – University of Oklahoma
Dr. Joseph J. Ferretti (Oklahoma City, OK) – University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Dr. Stanley W. Hoig (Edmond, OK) – University of Central Oklahoma (posthumous)
Dr. John Kontogianes (Tulsa, OK) – Tulsa Community College (posthumous)
Dr. David R. Morgan (Norman, OK) – University of Oklahoma
Dr. Donnie L. Nero Sr. (Warner, OK) – Connors State College
Dr. David Swank (Norman, OK) – University of Oklahoma
Dr. Ronald J. Tyrl (Stillwater, OK) – Oklahoma State University
For more information about the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame or the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society, please visit: www.ohehs.org or call 405-522-0778.
DONNA H. BRANSON
2011 HIGHER EDUCATION HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Regents Professor Donna Hahn Branson has left a matchless record in the area of apparel
systems design and production of protective clothing. In 1972, she earned a Ph.D.
in Family Ecology, emphasizing functional apparel design from Michigan State University.
She had previously served as instructor at the University of Rhode Island and at Michigan
State University for several years before she was hired as Associate Professor in
the Department of Design, Housing and Merchandising in the College of Human Sciences
at OSU in 1983. She became professor in four years and in 1993 was chosen department
head. Under her leadership, student enrollment grew such that DHM became the 4th largest department at OSU, and for nearly seven years, almost all faculty obtained
external funding for their research projects. Working with college staff, she initiated
a fundraising drive to establish the Christine Salmon Endowed Professorship. As well,
Donna Branson produced an inspiring record as teacher, researcher and mentor. She
taught most of the apparel design courses for ten years, served as major professor
for 36 graduate students, and co-authored over 50 journal articles, over 100 refereed
presentations, and eight juried design exhibits. Over the years, she obtained 28
grants, three manufacturing licenses and has two pending patents. Much of the research
output was related to designing body armor that protects against IED bomb attacks
but still allows for mobility and passive cooling. Her collaborative research was
instrumental in protecting United States marines in the Middle East. Her awards include:
the Mortar Board Outstanding OSU Teacher Award, the Marguerite Scruggs Award for Meritorious
Research, the Manmade Fiber Award for Research, the National Textile Center Scientific
Excellence Adviser, Oklahoma State University Regents Professor, and in 2006, the
Homeland Security Award. Professor Branson retired from OSU in 2006 but continued
to serve as Director of the Institute of Protective Apparel Research and Technology
in Stillwater until September, 2010. For her outstanding record of teaching, research
and service to state and nation, the OHEHS proudly inducts Donna H. Branson into the
Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.
ROBERT V. MILLER
2011 HIGHER EDUCATION HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Microbiology research and service to Oklahoma State University are the hallmarks in
the fabulous academic career of Robert V. Miller. Born in Modesto, California, Robert
(Bob) Miller earned his B.A. degree in microbiology at the University of California
at Davis and then went on to the University of Illinois to obtain his doctorate in
1972. After a postdoctoral appointment at the University of California, Berkeley,
he was employed at the University of Tennessee and Loyola University of Chicago before
being recruited in 1991 as Head of the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department
at Oklahoma State University. He then conducted a research agenda that was matchless
in its output. He has obtained thirty-two grants for research from agencies that
include the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American
Cancer Society, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This outpouring
of research has yielded 70 journal articles in the most prestigious journals of molecular
biology, 113 published research abstracts, and five co-authored books. He is known
as the co-founder of the discipline of Molecular Ecology, and as testament to his
international reputation he has given at least 24 invited seminars or lectures in
foreign lands—Russia, Poland, France, Switzerland, England, Wales, Canada, Greece,
Germany, Italy, and Texas. He has trained 16 Ph.D. and 7 M.S. students. In recognition
of his prodigious research achievements, Oklahoma State University appointed Bob Miller
Regents Professor in 2000. In 2004 he was named Distinguished International Scholar
by Cardiff University, The University of Wales. Beyond his research activity, Bob
Miller has been active in guiding OSU. Besides serving as a department head, Bob
has been extremely active in faculty governance, participating in innumerable university
committees and becoming in 2007 the Chair of the OSU Faculty Council. We recognize
Robert V. Miller for his stellar career of research and service that has so added
luster to the reputation of the state of Oklahoma.
KARL N. REID
2011 HIGHER EDUCATION HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
The achievements of Karl N. Reid at Oklahoma State University and in the engineering
program have been nothing less than brilliant. After earning his B.S. and M.S. degrees
at Oklahoma State, Karl Reid obtained in 1964 the Doctor of Science degree in mechanical
engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Upon receiving his doctorate,
he was hired as an assistant professor at Oklahoma State; by 1970 he became professor;
by 1972 the Head of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and from 1986
to 2011 the Dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology. Over
these years, Karl Reid dramatically advanced the engineering program at OSU. Between
1968 and 1972, he was the founding director for the Center for Systems Science; in
1986, he was a founder and director of the Web Handling Research Center; in 1989,
he was a founding director of the Oklahoma Center for Integrated Design and Manufacturing.
In 1997 he led the strategic planning for two major research facilities, the Advanced
Technology Research Center in Stillwater, and in 2007, the Helmerich Advanced Technology
Research Center in Tulsa. In recognition of his service to the engineering profession,
he has been elected as Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1983)
and the American Society for Engineering Education (1999). From the ASME he was awarded
its Centennial Medallion in 1980; he was selected by his Oklahoma peers in 1988 as
the Outstanding Engineer in Oklahoma. Among his academic credentials are four U.S.
patents, four book chapters, and forty journal papers. Teaching and student advisement
remains foremost of his activities. He has initiated four scholarship and enrichment
programs and has since 1993 undertaken 16 student trips abroad and has led 12 of them.
And this list does not include his service to the state as an adviser on science and
engineering subjects and his leadership in national and international organizations.
Today we thank Karl N. Reid for a career that has so benefited Oklahoma higher education
and the people of the state.
RON TYRL
2011 HIGHER EDUCATION HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Ronald J. Tyrl, Emeritus Professor of Botany at Oklahoma State University, is the
epitome of the teacher-scholar who has admirably served and continues to serve Oklahoma’s
students and citizens. He is a premier teacher, having received numerous teaching
awards for his outstanding performance in the classroom. Tyrl earned a B.A. degree
cum laude in biology from Park College in Missouri in 1964, an M.S. in botany in 1967
and a Ph.D. in botany in 1969 from Oregon State University. He began his teaching
career as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Park College. In 1972 he became an
Assistant Professor of Botany and Curator of the Herbarium at OSU, subsequently retiring
as a full Professor in 2008. He also has been a visiting professor of botany at the
University of Oklahoma Biological Station.
Tyrl has received the prestigious Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in College and Teaching from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence: has mentored more than 30 graduate students in his career, many of whom have become college professors themselves: has taught numerous Elderhostel courses: and has led wildflower tours in Oklahoma and Great Britain. He served on the first board of directors of the Oklahoma Native Plant Society and was president of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences in 1998-1999 which awarded him its Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
Tyrl’s significant scholarly contributions include authorship or co-authorship of numerous books, journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports, including Toxic Plants of North America, Dyes from American Native Plants, Field Guide to Oklahoma Plants, and Keys & Descriptions for the Vascular Plants of Oklahoma. The last two books are the principal references for identification of the state’s plants.
Tyrl’s contributions to science education in Oklahoma at both the individual and organization levels are unparalleled among his academic peers. He has employed a variety of pedagogical approaches: formal lectures, field trips, mentoring, workshops, and public lectures. Tyrl is a true Oklahoma educational treasure!