A Life of Honor
Friday, January 5, 2024
Media Contact: Sophia Fahleson | Digital Communications Specialist | 405-744-7063 | sophia.fahleson@okstate.edu
As a young man from a small town finding his way in the world, Gentner Drummond was unaware of the impact his life would have on his home state.
From graduating in a class of 47 peers to serving as an elected state official, Drummond has one message: “Anyone can do this. You just have to be diligent.”
At a young age, Drummond had a passion for hard work, backed by a business-oriented mindset.
“As a young teen, I assisted an elderly widow with odd jobs and checking on her,” Drummond said. “When I was 14, she assisted me in hiring an attorney, becoming legally emancipated, and purchasing her ranch with my two younger brothers, David and Jonathan. She also carried the note and mortgage for us.”
Drummond used the purchase of this property as a basis to invest in surrounding properties and grow the operation, he said.
Heavy involvement in extracurricular activities combined with a drive for personal and professional growth, Drummond laid the foundation for his future, he said.
“While finishing my last semester at Hominy High School, my English teacher warned me that I would probably never make an A at Oklahoma State University,” Drummond said. “With that encouragement, I was determined to never make anything but an A.”
As Drummond finished his degree in agricultural economics, he received recognition on the departmental, college and university levels as a Top 10 Freshman and Outstanding Senior.
While at OSU, Drummond was a Truman Scholar alternate and a Rhodes Scholar finalist. He served as Beta Theta Pi president, was Blue Key Honor Society president and selected as Air Force ROTC Detachment 670 cadet wing commander.
“OSU opened the door to a robust experience,” Drummond said. “These leadership opportunities honed my skills as an organizational leader that served me well as an active duty fighter pilot and continue to serve me today as attorney general.”
After graduating from OSU in 1985, Drummond pursued a career in the U.S. Air Force where he piloted F-15 Eagle fighter jets during the first Gulf War and was promoted to the rank of captain. He received a Distinguished Flying Cross for superb situational awareness after directly disobeying orders to destroy an aircraft later determined to be a U.S. ally.
After his eight years of service in the U.S. Air Force, Drummond attended law school, earning his juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center.
“After the Gulf War and law school, there were few people who fought in the war and distinguished themselves in law school,” Drummond said. “I had the opportunity to choose my firm, so I picked the one that reminded me most of a fighter squadron.
“After practicing law with a large law firm in Tulsa for two years, I realized I was originating more clients than the senior attorneys,” Drummond added. “This was the moment that I founded my own firm and began diversifying my investments.”
In addition to the Drummond Law firm, he is the principal owner of Blue Sky Bank. He also owns a cattle operation, wireless retail stores in eight states and Postoak Lodge near Tulsa.
“As the beneficiary of OSU’s Presidential Scholarship, I owe much of my success to OSU as the training ground for my future career decisions,” Drummond said.
Drummond and his wife of 13 years, Wendy, express their gratitude to OSU for the opportunities the university created for their family by sponsoring scholarships for students attending OSU Center for Health Sciences campus and in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics.
Additionally, the Drummond's have contributed to the Ferguson College of Agriculture’s New Frontiers campaign.
Heidi Williams, associate vice president of constituent development for the OSU Foundation, said Gentner Drummond has recognized the value of his OSU education.
“Through the numerous scholarships and campaigns the Drummond family supports, they have paid it forward to the future generations following in his footsteps and showing a similar mindset to make Oklahoma better,” she said.
In 2022, Gentner Drummond was elected to serve as attorney general for the State of Oklahoma.
“I always knew that I needed to serve at the state level,” he said. “The attorney general seemed to be the position that I was most qualified for.”
Gentner Drummond knows his time as attorney general is limited, he said, so he counts down his remaining time in office by weeks because he covets each moment.
“My objective is to set a new bar for transparency, accountability, and the rule of law that is not swayed by politics, partisanship, or power,” he said.
After Gentner Drummond’s election to Oklahoma Attorney General, his wife assumed control of the family’s business interests, he said, and has been vital in maintaining their family’s business legacy.
“Gentner has always wanted to serve the state,” Wendy Drummond said. “This really is his dream. It’s been exciting for me to see how passionate he is about the job and how much he loves it.”
In his personal life, Gentner Drummond wears many hats. He is the oldest of 65 great-grandchildren on the Drummond side and has four children, two stepchildren, five grandchildren, and more on the way, he said.
“Our grandchildren call us Gummy and Gigi,” Gentner Drummond said. “Sometimes they just combine our names to GumGi."
“We prioritize setting aside time for our grandchildren, but we could always have more time,” he added. “They are a bright and creative seventh generation of Oklahoma Drummonds, and we could not be more proud of them, their parents, and their aunts and uncles. When I draw my last breath, I will be most pleased by my time spent with Wendy and our family.”
For many people, state officials seem larger than life. Gentner Drummond said he is just an average man trying to do his best for his home state and the people of Oklahoma.
“Anybody can do this,” Gentner Drummond said. “You just have to be diligent. I’m just your typical kid from Hominy. I’m nothing special. I just worked hard.”
Story by: Jase Jarlsberg | Cowboy Journal