Gary is active in many civic organizations and serves on the boards of the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, National Conference for Community & Justice (NCCJ) and the Tulsa Air & Space Museum.

Ray Murphy:  National Wrestling Hall of Fame
1998 Medal of Courage Winner

One minute he was an active, healthy young wrestler, competing in a national tournament in his home arena. The next moment he was a quadriplegic, paralyzed for life when slammed to the mat with a broken neck and a severed spinal cord.

For most, such a tragic accident would have marked the end of a life. For Ray Murphy, it marked the beginning of a whole new world, one with many difficult challenges to be met and defeated.

For his success in overcoming those obstacles, and his courageous struggle against overwhelming odds, Murphy was voted the third Medal of Courage of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

A state champion wrestler at Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa, Murphy was an All-American for Oklahoma State in 1968 and '69, reaching the NCAA finals his senior year. His injury occurred in 1971 during the USA Wrestling national Freestyle championships in OSU's Gallagher Hall.

Although he has been gripped by paralysis for more than 25 years, and still requires mechanical assistance in breathing, he has led a remarkable life. His mother, Ferol, has been at his side throughout.

Already a business graduate of OSU, Murphy earned another degree in computer programming at Tulsa Junior College. There he was magna cum laude with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. He never missed a class, never was even late to class. At graduation ceremonies in 1988, he led the procession in his sip-and-puff wheelchair.

Because of the importance of sip-and-puff technology, which Ray uses to operate his computer and other amenities, he has become a national leader in research of new additions to this technique. He also has been employed as a computer programmer by Phillips 66 and other corporations.

In 1989, Ray received national recognition as Handicapped Person of the Year.

-article & photo courtesy of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Dennis Drullinger served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, a member of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade.  He was awarded the Silver Star, which is the nation's third highest combat award, for "gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States", when his Brigade unit was attacked in January, 1968.  The citation said Drullinger refused to leave his position and opened fire on the enemy with his rifle and grenades, giving his fellow soldiers time to regroup and counterattack.  He was wounded, captured and later escaped during this attack. You can contact Dennis at ddrullinger@cox.net

Click Here to read the harrowing, detailed account of the experiences that lead to his citation.  Several photos are included.

Class of '64 Ring Returned - 37 Years Later

The Alumni Foundation received the following letter in December, 2003:
Several years ago while wading in the Pacific Ocean along the coast of California I found a class ring from your school.  It's a boy's ring dated 1964. The letters engraved inside are: J.E.R.  Would someone there be

able to help me find the owner of this ring and perhaps send me his address?  I'd like to return it to him and learn the story of how it became a California seashell.
-René Anderson Benitz

The message was passed along to Stewart Leigh, who is organizing the Class of '64 Reunion.  Stewart writes:
Just to let everyone know, I found James Raney.  He lost his ring in 1967 at the beach in California, while he was in Military Service. I gave him the email address so he could contact the person that found the ring. He couldn't believe it.  He said it's been 37 years. James lives in Tulsa and has a family business.