It was a day of grand celebration and soaring Cowboy spirit as generations of the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology family celebrated OSUIT’s 80th anniversary.

The celebration was held on the afternoon of Oct. 5 in the OSUIT Student Union. Students, alumni, faculty and staff past and present, administrators and Okmulgee residents and city leaders packed the union to honor 80 years of providing young people with the skills they need for a prosperous future.

“It's just so incredible to really reflect upon where all we've been and just how special this place has been to so many different people. And 80 years is really this extraordinary milestone that we've been able to accomplish,” said OSUIT Provost Richie Roberts to those gathered at the event. “But today is really about reflecting on the people who have really set the foundation and made this place incredibly special. So, we're excited to be able to do that today and really celebrate just eight decades of excellence at OSUIT.”

Okmulgee Mayor Mickey Baldwin joined Roberts to proclaim Oct. 5, 2026, as OSUIT 80th Anniversary Day in the City of Okmulgee.

“OSUIT has grown from its beginning as a technical training school into a leading institution of applied education while remaining an important part of the Okmulgee community,” Baldwin said. “I encourage all the citizens to join in celebrating the legacy, the contribution and the continued commitment to education that Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology has provided for 80 years.”

OSUIT opened in the fall of 1946 after being transformed from an Army hospital into a vocational school for military members returning from World War II. It evolved into a school for anyone seeking a hands-on education and the opportunity to enter a skilled trade. Today, OSUIT continues to provide students with the training they need to thrive in their careers and help Oklahoma businesses and industries flourish.

Several alumni and former employees shared their memories of OSUIT and spoke about how the school made a difference in their lives and in the lives of countless students.

Dr. Melissa Dreyer, dean of the School of Technology, Science, Arts and Health, said OSUIT has been an enormous presence in her and her family’s life.

“My mother actually attended OSUIT, and she came back to get her GED and a degree. Some of my first memories are doing my homework with my mother at our dining room table. At the same time, my grandmother taught here for more than 20 years,” Dreyer said.

Dreyer fondly remembered visiting the campus during the summer, getting donuts from the Culinary Arts bakery store, and attending a wide variety of classes.

Gary McGowin, lead painter in the campus’s Physical Plant, has worked for OSUIT for 30 years. He said OSUIT is a lynchpin for him and his family.

“I started here in the late 1900s, and I liked it so much that I invited my family to work here. My mom and dad worked here; they both retired from here. I had an uncle retire from here. My brother is currently working here. And we liked it so much that I sent all three of my boys to school here,” McGowin said.

McGowin said OSUIT has become his second family.

Aaron Ware, a renowned chef and OSUIT Culinary Arts instructor who graduated from the culinary program, said he was 19 when his mother asked him what he was going to do with his life.

“I said, ‘You know what I want to do. I want to be a chef.’ And she pulled out an application to OSUIT, and she said, ‘You're leaving in 30 days.’ And I left, and the rest is history,” he said.

Ware said OSUIT’s 80th anniversary is a special day.

“Some days you need to be reminded why you come to work, why you chose the profession that you chose. I always tell people there's only two things in life I ever wanted to be: a chef and the other one was Bugs Bunny, and I figured out real quick I couldn't be that. And so, OSUIT has been amazing for me, and I'm so grateful,” Ware said.

Jack Long, an alum from the Class of 1954, traveled from Stillwater to attend the celebration with his granddaughter.

“The people were kind to us here, and everybody was here to learn,” Long said. “It's been a good experience, and I think that everybody here that has come through the program, they all feel the same way. They're here to find a job and to make a life for themselves. And I think it's a great place to go through.”

Grant Griffin said OSUIT was a place filled with opportunity, enabling him to build a career after his military service. He said he used the GI Bill to attend OSUIT. He opened a small business and started teaching furniture upholstery at OSUIT in the 1970s. Griffin retired as an admissions counselor in the early 2000s.

“The school has done a lot for me. I'm just grateful today to be with a lot of familiar faces. Thank you for having us today,” Griffin said.

Dr. Robert Klabenes, who led the school as director from 1983 to 2011, attended the celebration. He said he is most proud of helping OSUIT fulfill its mission to provide students with the training they need to pursue their professional dreams while uplifting the state.

“We had an excellent relationship with business and industry. And we started the internships while I was here, and that was really a plus for students and for employers to have students to be in those internships to get experience. And employers got to see what they could do, and students got to understand the world of work before they actually graduated,” Klabenes said.

Roberts closed his remarks by quoting the school’s first leader, L. Keith Covelle, who said, “I built the foundation. It's up to you to build this school into something great.”

“And so, 80 years later, that responsibility still belongs to all of us here today and faculty and staff and students here at OSUIT,” Roberts said. “So, today we're honoring all those who helped really build the foundation. We celebrate everyone who has carried this mission forward, and we look with great optimism for the future of where we can go next. Eighty years, one mission, and I truly believe that OSUIT's best chapters are yet to come.”