TCC Honors Education Vision of Governor Henry
INSPIRATIONAL LEARNERS: Enjoying the 2010 Vision in Education Leadership Award dinner at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel are, from left, TCC First Lady Stacey McKeon, TCC President Dr. Tom McKeon, Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry, Gov. Brad Henry and TCC Vision Dinner Chair Mary Shaw.
Courtesy Tulsa Community College
The ballroom of the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel swelled when nearly 500 people gathered to honor Gov. Brad Henry at the 2010 Vision in Education Leadership Award dinner. The Tulsa Community College Foundation awarded Gov. Henry for his consistent support of education during his two terms in office. The event raised $226,000 for scholarships and special programs for students and faculty at and is hosted each year by the Foundation.
Cherokee Nation Businesses was the presenting sponsor of the evening. Oklahoma Magazine was the media sponsor. Stuart Price, chair of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, was the Honorary Chair for the dinner, and Mary Shaw, a Foundation trustee, was Vision Dinner Chair.
Guests enjoyed a private champagne reception with Gov. Henry prior to the event and were welcomed by upbeat music played by Signature Symphony Big Band. The dinner tables were Oklahoma- themed in honor of the Governor with centerpieces of yellow roses and blue hydrangeas by Toni’s Flowers.
Former Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Turpen served as Master of Ceremonies and introduced speakers Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Chad Smith, President Tom McKeon and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Chancellor Glenn Johnson. Each praised Henry for the educational achievements made during his two terms.
Among many of his initiatives, Henry signed a three percent budget increase for higher education amid a challenging economic climate in 2009. He set high academic standards for schools and increased student participation in Oklahoma’s Promise, a college payment plan for low income families, resulting in a growth of 12,000 to 19,000 students during his terms. During his two four-year terms in office, Oklahoma experienced a more than 26 percent increase in the number of college degrees earned.
The Vision Award is presented annually to an individual dedicated to education excellence and community leadership. Past honorees include Montie Box, David Boren, John-Kelly Warren and John Gaberino Sr.
Shaw’s, Dinner Committee included: Alex Bowles, Tiffani Bruton, Mary Ann Hille, Sharon King Davis, Dave Kollmann, Bill Lissau, and Pierce Norton. Honorary hosts of the event were Howard and Billie Barnett, Dr. Don and Susanne Betz, Jim and Janet Cameron, John and Marge Gaberino, Dr. Tom and Stacey McKeon, Bill and Monica Lissau, Jody Parker, Stuart and Linda Price, Dr. B. Frank and Mary Shaw, Steve and Liz Stidham and Tom and D’Anna Vogt.
Guests included Mayor Dewey and Victoria Barlett, Phil and Adriane Lakin, Chief Chad and Bobbie Smith, Stuart and Dana Solomon, Alex and Mandy Bowles, Jackie Kouri and Gary Paxton, Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins, Speaker of the House Chris Benge, Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, Secretary of State Susan Savage, Rep. Jabar Shumate, and Former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor.
Guests from area colleges and universities included Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis, -Tulsa President Howard Barnett, Northeastern State University President Don Betz, Oral Roberts Univesity President Mark Rutland, University of Tulsa VP of Government and Community Relations Susan Neal, Rogers State University President Larry Rice, Oklahoma Wesleyan University President Everett Piper, Langston University President JoAnn Haysbert, Superintendant of Tulsa Technology Center Kara Gae Neal, North Texas Community College Consortium representative Dr. Jesse Jones, University of Phoenix respresentative Lori Santiago, President of the Tulsa Schools Foundation Lucky Lamons, President of the Tulsa School Board Mark Poole, President Emeritus Dean VanTrease, and President of the Faculty Association Steven Woods. Top sponsors included the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation., American Airlines, Bank of Oklahoma, the Barnett Family Foundation, Cancer Treatment Centers of America and CloseBend,
Additional sponsors included Cox Communications, the Gaberinos and GableGotwals, , Inc., the Lobeck Taylor Foundation, the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Foundation, Evelyn Nienhuis, ONEOK, Stuart and Linda Price, Samson, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and Dr. B. Frank and Mary Shaw.
Updated 10-08-2010
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