OU Regents' Alumni Awards to be presented to 10 Outstanding Individuals
Ten exceptional University of Oklahoma alumni and friends will receive Regents’ Alumni Awards for their dedication and service to OU in a May 15 ceremony on the Norman campus.
Presented by the OU Board of Regents and OU Alumni Association, the Regents’ Alumni Award is a testament to the important roles OU alumni and supporters play in the life of the university. A committee formed by the Alumni Association selects the award recipients from nominations made by alumni, friends, and OU faculty and staff. The names of each year’s recipients are engraved on a permanent plaque in Oklahoma Memorial Union.
This year’s recipients are:
- Susan E. “Betsy” Brackett, Oklahoma City, prosthodontist
- Bob Burke, Oklahoma City, attorney, author and historian
- Jorge DeDiego "Doc D", Doral, Fla., doctor of medicine, Doral Medicine Associates
- Danny Heatly, Norman, senior vice president, accounting and chief accounting officer, Devon Energy Corp.
- Rebecca Lea Loving, Shawnee, director of health care systems, Oklahoma City Area Indian Health Services
- Bill Z. Parker, Frisco, Texas, retired executive vice president for worldwide production and operations, Phillips Petroleum Co.
- Robert J. “Bob” Ross, Nichols Hills, president and CEO of the Inasmuch Foundation and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
- Yoshi K. Sasaki, Norman, George Lynn Cross Professor of Meteorology Emeritus
- C. Renzi Stone, Tulsa, president and CEO of Saxum Public Relations of Oklahoma City
- Steven W. Taylor, McAlester, Oklahoma Supreme Court justice.
A former OU student, Brackett is a longtime generous donor to the university. She graduated from the College of Dentistry in 1978 and received her certificate in fixed prosthodontics and master of science degree from the University of Iowa in 1987.
Together with her husband, Gregg Wadley, her contributions have made possible such initiatives as a new indoor tennis facility, which will be named the Gregg Wadley Tennis Pavilion, and the Susan E. Brackett Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair in the School of Dance, which brings renowned choreographers, dancers, scholars and other professionals to teach students at the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center. Brackett and her husband also are contributors to the OU Campaign for Scholarships fund and the Ballet Russes Archives. In further service to her alma mater, Brackett is a member of the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts Board of Visitors.
Prior to entering private practice, Brackett served on the faculty of the OU College of Dentistry Department of Fixed Prosthodontics. She is a nationally recognized professional and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and a Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists and the American College of Dentists. She serves as director of public and professional relations on the American College of Prosthodontists board of directors and is a member of the board of directors of the American College of Prosthodontists Education Foundation.
Burke, 1970 OU graduate in journalism communication, is a noted attorney, author and historian whose dedication to the university has taken many forms. His generosity has paved the way for such endeavors as the Class of 1970 reunion gifts, the Oklahoma Memorial Union paver project and the Jone Kendrick Endowed Scholarship. He is the co-author of the volume An American Statesman: The Life of David Boren. Burke also has made enormous contributions to Bizzell Memorial Library, including a collection of more than 2,000 notable and rare bibles and the Autographs of American Leaders collection.
A member of the OU President’s Associates and Alumni Association, Burke has served on the Presidential Professor committee at OU and as an adjunct professor in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. His service extends beyond the university though his positions on the governing boards of such organizations as the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence; Jim Thorpe Association; Oklahoma Heritage Association; Oklahoma Arts Council; Red Earth; and Wiley Post Commission, as well as on the executive committee of the President’s Council of Oklahoma City University.
Burke has been recognized with many honors and awards, including the Governor’s Art Award for Excellence in the Arts in Oklahoma and being named to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2006 and recognized by fellow Gaylord College alumni with the JayMac Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007.
DeDiego came to OU from Cuba in 1964. As a student, he was president of the Spanish Club and helped bring many distinguished speakers to the OU campus, including such notables as Fernando Belaunde Terry, who would go on to become president of Peru, and Argentinean literary legend and philosopher Jorge Luis Borges.
Although many miles from his alma mater, his efforts on behalf of OU continue. He was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the OU Club of South Florida, which has established three scholarship funds for OU students, and is a donor to scholarships through the OU Alumni Association. He maintains the Web site www.themiamisooners.com and is active in recruiting new students to the university.
In addition to his commitment to OU, DeDiego is a passionate philanthropist in his community. One of his three offices is almost solely dedicated to helping children of little means. His numerous other philanthropic efforts include a books for knowledge program for local children and the distribution of Christmas toys to the indigent people of Miami, both administered by the Miami Sooners, as well as medical awareness outreach to community schools and parents. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including being named Outstanding Physician of the Year from Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., and the Commendation Award from the Miami-Dade government.
Heatly is a distinguished alumnus who currently serves as senior vice president of accounting and as chief accounting officer at Devon Energy Corp. Before joining Devon in 1989, he was associated at Peat Marwick Main and Co. (now KPMG, LLP) in Oklahoma City for 10 years, serving as senior audit manager. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants.
A graduate of the OU class of 1978, Heatly was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national scholastic honor society for business students, and graduated with distinction. He has served as a member of the OU Campaign for Scholarships committee and the John T. Steed School of Accounting Board of Visitors and is a lifetime member of the OU Alumni Association.
Since his graduation, he has been a dedicated supporter of OU scholarships, athletics and the recent Reforestation Campaign. He and his wife, Dana, who also graduated from OU, were among the first donors and annual contributors to the Sooner Heritage Scholarships, with their donations matched by Devon Energy Corp. Soon after Heatly joined the Campaign for Scholarships committee, he established an endowed scholarship fund in honor of Wayne Garrison, one of his early mentors and the first person to earn a master of accountancy degree at OU.
Loving, a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri, graduated from OU with a master of nursing degree in 1981. While at OU, she was active in the Native American Council, mentoring young Native American nursing students, and was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing. Twenty-eight years after her graduation, she continues to be a positive force for the university. She has served on multiple advisory groups for the College of Nursing, including those for the Nurse Practitioner Program and the American Indian Nursing Student Success Program. She is an active recruiter of new students, working closely with Student Affairs to attract students from within the Native American community. She also continues to assist faculty in the areas of Native American studies, and collaborates often with the College of Nursing to provide continuing education to her staff at Oklahoma City Indian Health Services, where she serves as director of Health Care Systems.
In addition to her duties at Oklahoma City Indian Health Services, Loving has served two terms as chair of the Indian Health Services National Council of Nursing and two terms on the Executive Leadership Group for the Indian Health Service. For her dedication to the well being of others, she has been the recipient of the Indian Health Services Exceptional Performance Award, the Indian Health Service Dedicated Service Award, three of the U.S. Public Health Services Commissioned Corps Chief Nurse Officer’s Awards, and the Secretary’s (Health and Human Services) Group Performance Award.
Parker is the retired executive vice president for worldwide production and operations for Phillips Petroleum Co. An alumnus of the class of 1970, he earned his bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering.
During his 34 years with Phillips, Parker worked diligently to build a lasting relationship between the company and OU, encouraging support for scholarships, fellowships and educational programs. He also has contributed personally through donations to the university for such endeavors as building capital campaigns and endowed scholarships for the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering. He is a current member of the College of Engineering Board of Visitors and the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy Board of Visitors, and in the past has served on the College of Engineering Capital Campaign Board; the Mewbourne School of Petroleum Engineering Industry Advisory Board; and the selection committee for the dean of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy.
A member of the College of Engineering Distinguished Graduates Society, Parker currently serves on the boards of directors of Williams Partners and Laredo Petroleum in Tulsa. He is a member of the American Petroleum Institute’s 25 Year Club and has been a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers for 38 years.
After graduating from the OU College of Law in 1999, Ross joined the Oklahoma City law firm of McAfee & Taft. During his legal career, Ross worked with the late Edith Kinney Gaylord, advising her on her business and civic affairs. After she passed away, Ross joined her two foundations, Inasmuch Foundation and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. Under his direction, the two organizations have provided extraordinary support to the university, including for Phase I and II of Gaylord Hall; the OU Cancer Institute; the Edith Kinney Gaylord Freshman Expository Writing Program; the colleges of Law and Public Health; the Department of Pediatrics at the College of Medicine; the K20 Center for Educational and Community Renewal in the College of Education; and KGOU Radio. The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation houses the endowment for the Otis Sullivant Award for Perceptivity and is a key supporter of the Gaylord College, funding Oklahoma Scholastic Media, the Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism and the Institute for Research and Training.
Ross is a member of the boards of directors for several organizations, including the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce; Maverick Pac Oklahoma; Oklahoma City Museum of Art; Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum; Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation; Oklahoma Health Center Foundation; Smart Start Central Oklahoma; St. Anthony Hospital Foundation; Sunbeam Family Services; Oklahoma City Educare; and Tulsa Educare.
A native of Akita, Japan, Sasaki has dedicated his life to the study of natural-disaster prevention. He is George Lynn Cross Research Professor Emeritus of Meteorology in the School of Meteorology, which he helped to found, and was one of the pioneers of Doppler theory. He serves on the School of Computer Science Board of Visitors; is the originator of the exchange program to Blaise-Pascal/Clermont-Ferrand universities in France; and was instrumental in establishing the Asaki Company Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering and the Hitachi Endowed Chair in Computer Sciences. For his dedication to OU and to excellence in education, he has been the recipient of the Regents’ Award for Superior Accomplishment in Professional and University Service.
In addition to dedicating himself to the betterment of the university, Sasaki also has made it his mission to promote a close relationship between Oklahoma and Japan. He played a crucial role in bringing Hitachi to Oklahoma, and serves as a member of the State of Oklahoma Governor’s International Team and the State of Oklahoma Advisory Council on Asian-American Affairs.
Sasaki has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards for his accomplishments, including the Fujiwara Award from the Meteorological Society of Japan and the Emperor of Japan’s “Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” for his contributions to science and international affairs. He also has been named an Honorary Consul General of Japan and is a Fellow of the American Meteorology Society.
Stone, a native of Tulsa, is president and CEO of Saxum PR, a successful public relations firm headquartered in Oklahoma City, with an office in Austin. A graduate of the Class of 2000 with a bachelor of arts degree in history, he was an exceptional student while at OU, maintaining a record as a distinguished scholar and athlete while also contributing to the community through service and speaking engagements. As a member of the OU men’s basketball team, he brought distinction to the university as winner of the Big 12 Conference Medal. He also excelled in academics as a Rhodes Scholarship finalist and winner of the Letzeiser Award. Stone has maintained his connection to the campus far beyond his graduation, promoting career programming for student-athletes and dedicating much of his time to teaching in the Student Athlete Enrichment Program, where he serves as a role model and encourages leadership. Stone also is active with and serves on the executive committee of Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
A rising star in Oklahoma City, Stone is a leader in his community and profession and serves on the Board of Directors of such organizations as Leadership Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Allied Arts, The Downtown Club of Oklahoma City and Ally’s House. He has been recognized for his excellence by being named to the Journal Record’s “40 Achievers Under 40,” Oklahoma Magazine “40 Under 40,” OKC Business News’ “Top 40 Businessmen to Watch Under the Age of 40,” and nationally as PR Week’s “40 Under 40.”
Taylor is a dedicated OU College of Law alumnus and an Oklahoma State Supreme Court justice. A graduate of the Class of 1974, as a student he was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for Academic Excellence. He went on to become the youngest judge in the U.S. armed forces at the age of 28 and currently serves on the OU College of Law Board of Visitors, offering valuable advice on matters relating to the quality of programs, services and facilities at the college. He also serves on the OU College of Law Centennial Committee, assisting with events that celebrate the college’s 100th anniversary this year. He is in collaboration with Oklahoma author and historian – and fellow 2009 Regents’ Alumni Award winner – Bob Burke to produce a book commemorating 100 years of the OU College of Law, dedicating much of his time to interviewing those whose experiences and memories contributed to the history of that institution.
For 21 years prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, he was a trial judge and presided over more than 500 jury trials, including the Oklahoma City bombing trial of Terry Nichols. The past mayor of the city of McAlester, Taylor also was named Citizen of the Year by that city. He serves as vice chairman of the Oklahoma Heritage Association, as well as on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and the Oklahoma City National Memorial Board of Trustees. In 2007, he was recognized by Oklahoma Magazine as one of the “100 Who Shaped Us.”