Distinguished alumni honored at banquet
Brandon Walls
News Writing Student
Jennifer Pearsall/Pioneer
Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry and First Lady of Oklahoma Kim Henry stand with Kim’s 2009 OCCC Honorary Alumni Hall of Fame award. Kim, Sarkeys Foundation executive director, was given the award at the Alumni banquet Oct. 29. Sarkeys Foundation donated $1 million to OCCC for the construction of the Performing Arts Theater.
The college’s Alumni Hall of Fame Banquet honored seven former OCCC students Oct. 29.
The ceremony was held in the Visual and Performing Arts Center in celebration of accomplishments in their lives and careers.
This year’s inductees included a dentist, a veterinarian and a teacher.
Two others were honored for special service to the college as well, even though they are not graduates. Kim Henry, First Lady of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State Regent John Massey took home Honorary Alumni Hall of Fame awards.
Christopher Burris, who graduated in 2000, is an instructor at Metro Technology Center in Oklahoma City.
He also has been involved in planning various projects both locally and regionally.
“OCCC is more than just a place to earn a degree,” Burris said in the awards program. “It is a community of friends and mentors who help build the leaders of tomorrow.”
Mary Blankenship Pointer, another 2009 inductee, is vice president of business development at UMB Bank.
Pointer graduated from OCCC in 1989 and has been a model of leadership and volunteerism among women in her community.
She noted that OCCC has made significant contributions to the community.
“I am honored to be part of its great history,” Pointer said in the awards program.
Other 2009 Hall of Fame inductees include Teresa Davis, dentist; Christina Makarim, veterinarian;plus Eddie Manley, Shannon Nance, and Dee Porter.
President Paul Sechrist commended the honorees.
“OCCC alumni make outstanding contributions to their communities and to their profession,” he said.
“We are proud of what each has accomplished since leaving here, and are excited to have them back on campus to officially recognize them.”
This was the fourth annual Hall of Fame Banquet sponsored by the OCCC Association of Alumni and Friends. For more information on Alumni Hall of Fame recipients, benefits and scholarships, visit www.occc.edu/alumni.
