The Oklahoma State University Alumni Association honored four new members of the OSU Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Feb. 13 in the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center. Roger Cagle, Rick Muncrief, John W. Smith and Dr. James B. Wise all received the university’s highest honor. The award celebrates outstanding lifetime achievement in society and professional life.

Roger Cagle

In 1965, Roger Cagle, co-valedictorian from Heavener, Oklahoma, earned an academic scholarship to Oklahoma State University, but withdrew to join the Marine Corps.

He returned to OSU, juggling classwork with roles as a teaching assistant, a Veterans Affairs Office staff member, an OSU Development Foundation assistant director and a father. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1973 and his MBA in 1975.

His career began at Exxon USA with Controller Ed Story. Together, they ventured to Superior Oil and restructured its financial systems. Roger and his wife, Cindy, met at Superior and married in 1988. They joined a team founding a new company, which was sold in 1991, opening the door to adventure.

The Cagles joined Cindy’s parents in Panama aboard their 60-foot trimaran, Beachouse. They sailed eight days to the Galapagos Islands, then 21 days across Pacific waters to remote atolls. They bartered their fishing gear for fresh food and interacted with islanders and global travelers. Interspersing travel with work, they collaborated on several ventures before sailing from Cape Town, South Africa, to the Caribbean in 1996.

With Story, they assembled international assets and founded SOCO International in 1997. The Cagles relocated to London, steering SOCO’s initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange. For over two decades, they conducted business worldwide, unlocking asset potential and returning value to shareholders from projects in Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Tunisia, Vietnam and Yemen. Roger was a non-executive director and chairman of several London-listed energy and minerals companies.

In 2018, the Cagles retired to the Texas Hill Country, forming the High Cs Ranch, which evolved into a haven for native wildlife, longhorns and exotic creatures. Their son calls the ranch home, and their granddaughter lives nearby in Kerrville.

Whilst in London, the Cagles established their family foundation to facilitate philanthropy. In 2014, their gift established the CAGLE Center, empowering the Spears School of Business with global outreach. CAGLE has awarded over $450,000 in scholarships and hosted more than 3,400 students on transformative international journeys.

Roger, an Alumni Association life member since 1985 and Heritage Society member, was inducted into the Spears Hall of Fame, and recognized as both a Distinguished MBA Alumni and a top 100 for 100 years alumnus.

Rick Muncrief

Rick Muncrief graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering technology.

Muncrief is the former president and chief executive officer of Devon Energy. He was named CEO upon the merger of Devon and WPX Energy, where he previously served as CEO and chairman of the board. Before joining WPX in 2014, he served as senior vice president of operations and resource development of Continental Resources Inc.

From 1980 to 2007, he served in various technical and leadership capacities with ConocoPhillips and its predecessor companies, Burlington Resources, Meridian Oil and El Paso Exploration.

He is currently on the board of directors of Williams Companies and serves on the compensation and management development committee and the environmental, health and safety committee. Muncrief serves as vice chair of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum board in Oklahoma City and is a board member of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation in Baltimore. He also serves on the energy committee of the Dallas Federal Reserve, is a member of the All-American Wildcatters and serves on the board and executive committee of the OKC Chamber of Commerce.

Muncrief is a former member of the American Petroleum Institute board of directors and executive committee and has been named the 2025 recipient of API’s Gold Medal Award. He is a past chairman and director of the American Exploration & Production Council, where he received the inaugural American Energy Vision Award. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Texas Oil and Gas Association.

Muncrief serves on several advisory committees at his alma mater, including The Code Calls Executive Campaign Board, the Hamm Institute of American Energy, and the Human Performance and Nutrition Research Institute. He was recognized as a distinguished alumnus and was inducted into the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame.

He and his wife, Gail, also support various areas across campus, including endowing the Rick and Gail Muncrief Executive Director position for HPNRI.

They currently reside in Edmond, Oklahoma, and are the parents of two grown children and four grandchildren. The Muncriefs are active in their church, are both huge sports fans and enjoy their farming and ranching operations near Elk City, Oklahoma.

Muncrief is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.

John W. Smith

John W. Smith graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 1988.

Over a six-year span that began while he was a student, Smith was the world’s top wrestler. He won consecutive world championships from 1987 to 1992, including gold medals at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

Smith accepted the head coaching position at OSU in 1992 and led his alma mater to five NCAA team titles in 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, coaching 33 NCAA individual champions.

The Cowboys brought 21 team conference tournament championships, two Big 12 regular season titles and 132 individual conference titles back to Stillwater. Smith saw 153 of his wrestlers earn All-American recognition. Additionally, Smith coached Alex Dieringer and Steve Mocco, who were awarded the Hodge Trophy — the country’s top collegiate wrestling award. Five of Smith’s wrestlers at OSU also made their way to the Olympic Games, including medalists Jamill Kelly and Coleman Scott.

Smith was recognized as the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2003 and was a 15-time selection as his conference’s coach of the year. In 1990, Smith was the first wrestler to claim the James E. Sullivan Award as America’s Outstanding Amateur Athlete and became the first American ever chosen as the Master of Technique and Wrestler of the Year by the International Wrestling Federation (FILA).

In 1992, Smith was presented with the Amateur Athletic Foundation World Trophy, becoming the first North American wrestler to do so. A 2003 inductee into the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame, a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a 1997 inductee into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, Smith was recognized as one of the 100 greatest Olympians of all time at the 1996 Atlanta Games. That same year, Smith was inducted into the OSU Athletics Hall of Honor.

He coached the U.S. at the Senior World Championships four times and was named the 2017 USA Wrestling Women’s Co-Coach of the Year.

In 1995, Smith married Toni Donaldson. The couple has three sons — Joe, Sam and Levi — and two daughters — Isabelle and Cecilia. Smith is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.

Dr. James B. Wise

Dr. James B. Wise graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1957.

After graduating, he became the university’s second alumnus to attend the prestigious Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore. He graduated at the top of his class in large part due to the preparation his OSU education provided.

Wise transformed the field of eye care during his trailblazing career as an ophthalmologist. In 1976, he invented laser trabeculoplasty, a groundbreaking procedure used to treat glaucoma, an eye disease that can damage the optic nerve and lead to vision loss. His innovation is still used to treat hundreds of millions of people worldwide and continues to impact lives nearly five decades later. Across his decorated career in ophthalmology, he authored 34 publications and lectured in more than a dozen countries, earning numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to the field.

Beyond medicine, Wise has made a profound impact on Oklahoma’s agricultural community. In 2010, he purchased Stillwater Milling Company to keep it from being sold to a corporate entity and preserve its local integrity. Under his leadership, the mill — Oklahoma’s largest cattle feed producer — has seen major improvements in capacity, efficiency and product quality.

His commitment to OSU is equally remarkable. After their animals received exceptional care at OSU’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Wise and his wife, Elizabeth, made a $2 million gift to establish the James and Elizabeth Wise Endowed Chair of Veterinary Ophthalmology. Their gift supports innovative research and education within the College of Veterinary Medicine, advancing OSU’s land-grant mission and ensuring top-tier eye care for animals across the state.

Wise has also been a generous supporter of the Edmon Low Library, scholarships, the Wildlife Care Fund and more.

Wise’s legacy is defined by his relentless curiosity, transformational achievements and unwavering dedication to giving back to the university that shaped his path.

He is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.

Photos by: Ellie Piper and Genesee Photo

Story by: Libby Ray | STATE Magazine