Selinger, Volk will be Missed
GREAT ORU FAN: Sidney Selinger was a common site in ORU’s J.L. Johnson Stadium. Here he poses in 2004 in the press box, which was dedicated in his name after his lead gift for the remodeling of the structure.
GTR Newspapers file photo
Long-time Oral Roberts University baseball booster Sidney Selinger and ORU All-American first baseman Bob Volk both died on April 12.
Selinger, 89, a longtime Tulsan and civic volunteer, was born March 27, 1917, to Simon and Fannie Selinger in Brooklyn, NY. He was a 1934 graduate of Tulsa Central High School, where he was a Varsity Yell Leader and member of the tennis team. He was an avid baseball fan, first supporting the Tulsa Oilers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, then giving his support to ORU upon the arrival of former coach Larry Cochell in 1977. Selinger became a fixture at J.L. Johnson Stadium for the next three decades.
His love of ORU baseball and his unwavering generosity helped lead to several improvements within the baseball program. In 2004, the ORU press box was named for Selinger after his gift led to a complete remodeling of the structure. A VIP lounge located along the third base line also bears his name.
Selinger is survived by Dorothea, his wife of 61 years. Volk died after a lengthy battle with cancer. Volk, 50, earned first-team All-America honors after leading the nation with a .407 batting average in 1977. The following season Volk helped lead the then-Titans to the school’s first and only College World Series appearance.
He is one of only two players in ORU history to hit for the cycle, and his .356 career batting average still ranks among ORU’s Top 10. Volk was a two-year letterwinner after transferring from Cerritos (Calif.) Junior College.
Volk is survived by his wife and three young children. His funeral was in California.
Updated 04-26-2006
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