School of Media and Strategic Communications alumnus commits largest gift in program history
Friday, August 22, 2025
Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu
Keith Garton had the perfect cover story.
In fourth grade, Garton’s best friend moved away from his hometown of Duncan, Oklahoma. Using paper, colored matte pencils and a typewriter from his dad’s work, he created his own newsletter featuring updates about his life. Garton then sent an issue to his friend every two weeks to stay in touch.
The first headline was clear — “Keith Gives Up Swimming for Tennis.” He always hated swimming.
That early foray into journalism sparked a successful career in the media, working for some of the biggest publishers in the country, such as Scholastic, McGraw-Hill and TIME. In 2009, Garton founded Red Chair Press, a children’s book publishing company dedicated to engaging young readers in stories that provide models for strong character and good behavior.
“Books are absolutely critical,” Garton said. “There’s tons of evidence that shows that children who are read to from an early age do much, much better by the time they start school. Red Chair Press was created on the idea of parents pulling up a chair and telling their child a good story.”
Creating custom newsletters and reporting for his high school paper is where Garton gained an interest in publications. But it was his time at Oklahoma State University, where he earned degrees in journalism and mass communication, that prepared him for professional success.
To give back to the university he loves deeply, Garton and his partner, David Sheehan, have committed the largest single gift ever directed to the OSU School of Media and Strategic Communications. The gift will establish the Garton Family Endowed Chair for Media and Strategic Communications, as well as endowed funds for rural journalism and student organizations.
“We are immensely grateful to Keith and David for this transformative gift to SMSC, which plays a crucial role in shaping the future of media by educating the next generation of journalists and communicators,” OSU President Jim Hess said. “This generous support will significantly enhance our ability to provide students with unparalleled resources and opportunities, empowering us to continue producing top-tier professionals who will impact the industry.”
While considering the gift, Garton spent time learning about the current needs and challenges of SMSC so he could make a difference in meaningful ways.
“This extraordinary gift is more than an investment in SMSC — it’s a commitment to the future of ethical, impactful storytelling,” said Dr. Melinda Cro, College of Arts and Sciences dean. “Keith and David’s generosity ensures that our students will not only learn the craft of communication, but also use it to elevate voices, build community and shape a better world.”
In today’s modern media climate, it is as important as ever that the state, nation and world are supplied with capable media members. Along with multimedia and communications skills, SMSC strongly emphasizes ethics and media literacy, so graduates are equipped to serve effectively and ethically.
These skills propelled Garton throughout his professional journey. While his experiences typically focused on sharing positive narratives with young readers, sometimes difficult stories needed to be told.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Garton was living in New York City, working at TIME for Kids. As president of the division, he had the responsibility of helping to determine how the magazine should explain the terrorist attacks to young children.
In the aftermath of one of the most horrifying days in U.S. history, he leaned on skills he learned at OSU to make the right decisions for the magazine. The cover featured firefighters planting a flag in the rubble as a symbol of hope.
“Even though at SMSC we didn’t focus specifically on how to write for children, SMSC did teach me the ability to write for different audiences and how to make ethical decisions,” Garton said.
“That automatically applied when we had to figure out how to explain things to children while still using all the elements of good writing, journalism and ethics.”
Journalism plays a role in communities of all sizes, from New York City to Garton’s own Stephens County, Oklahoma.
With an extended family of ranchers, Garton spent a lot of time in small farming towns from a young age. That continued in his first job after college, working for the Oklahoma ARC, where he traveled across the state interacting with families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
It was important to him that a significant portion of his gift supported rural journalism at OSU to ensure these underrepresented populations are still prevalent in news coverage so their voices can be heard. The Garton Family Funds will help students get out into these rural communities and share their stories.
“As college education evolves, experiential learning and community outreach are more important than ever, but such efforts can be resource intensive,” said Dr. Jared Johnson, SMSC director. “This gift will provide needed resources to perpetually support our efforts to bring stories to rural areas and benefit those communities for years to come. SMSC is proud to have caring alumni like Keith Garton.”
When Garton was in high school, he and his father took a trip out west to look at colleges in Oregon, Wyoming and Colorado. The whole time, he just wanted to be back home. OSU was always where he was going to go.
Fifty years later, he wouldn’t change a thing.
“OSU opened my eyes to a lot of things I would never have known had I stayed in southern Oklahoma where I grew up or if I had left Oklahoma for school,” Garton said. “It’s a great place to learn who you are and make connections with people that will change your life forever.
“OSU was just the most comfortable place in the world to me. And it was important to give back in some way.”
Story By: Grant Ramirez | Photos: Provided | casnews@okstate.edu