NEWS
Ten exceptional University of Oklahoma alumni and friends have been honored with Regents’ Alumni Awards for their dedication and service to OU. The awards were presented to this year’s honorees in an Oct. 14 ceremony on the OU Norman campus.
Presented by the OU Board of Regents and the OU Alumni Association, the Regents’ Alumni Awards honor the important roles of OU alumni and supporters to 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. Recipients receive a plaque, and their names are engraved on a permanent plaque in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.
This year’s Regents’ Alumni Award recipients are:
Dr. M. Dewayne Andrews
Andrews retired from the University of Oklahoma in February 2017 after providing 40 years of service and leadership to the OU Health Sciences Center. At the time of his retirement, he served as the vice president for health affairs and executive dean of the OU College of Medicine. Under his leadership, OUHSC expanded research space, promoted a focus on inter-professional education and practice, and enlarged the impact of the College of Medicine and the Health Sciences Center in the rapidly changing health care industry.
During his tenure at OU, Andrews received numerous teaching, leadership and medical awards, including an honorary degree, the university’s most prestigious honor. Andrews also represented OU while serving as a national committee member for the American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.
In 2013, Andrews was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. In 2016, a new, nine-story academic tower and courtyard for the OU College of Medicine were named in his honor.
Stacey Dales
Dales is one of the most decorated basketball players in OU and Big 12 Conference history. She led the Sooners to three conference titles and their first NCAA Women’s Final Four appearance in 2002. She was also OU women’s basketball’s first two-time All-American and two-time Big 12 Player of the Year.
Dales made her mark in the records book, as she holds the OU career record for assists (764), ranks third in school history in double-figure scoring games (104), fourth in games played (133), fifth in steals (250) and seventh in points scored (1,920). She also set the school single-season assists record with 248 assists during the 2000-2001 season. In addition to playing for the Sooners, she was Coach Sherri Coale’s first Olympian, as she was a member of the Canadian Olympic team at the 2000 Sydney games.
In addition to her achievements on the basketball court, Dales earned Academic All-America honors in 2001 and 2002 and was the Academic All-America women’s basketball team member of the year in 2002.
Outside of school, Dales participated in the Sooner Big Sister Program, a program that enables players to volunteer their time as mentors and teacher’s aides to elementary schools in the Norman community.
John W. Doughtie
Although Doughtie was born and raised in Houston, Texas, he always wanted to be a Sooner. In 1981, he was given the opportunity to attend OU. Upon arriving, he formed an interest in geology and graduated in 1984 with a bachelor of science in geology. He was also part of the OU football team in 1981.
Since graduating from OU, he has worked in the oil and gas industry in Houston and started working for Solatex Resources as a generating geologist from 1984 to 1991. In 1992, he started his own company, Linder-Doughtie Energy, and focused on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Since selling his company in 2001, Doughtie has been at LLOG Exploration as the vice president of exploration, focusing on the deep water Gulf of Mexico. He has been actively involved in several professional organizations, including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Houston Geological Society, and National Ocean Industries Association, and he serves on several boards, including For All Mankind Ministries, which is a faith-based ministry.
Doughtie serves on the Board of Visitors for the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy and is a member of the Trailblazer Society.
Together, he and his wife, Dana, focus primarily on investing in students by providing scholarships and internships for various colleges at OU. During Doughtie’s time at OU, he had many opportunities to witness alumni mentoring students. Brian and Sandra O’Brien were a great example of this, as they gave much of their time and resources back to the university. In honor of them, the Doughtie’s established the Brian & Sandra O’Brien Scholarship Endowment in the Mewbourne College to provide scholarships for geology students.
Paula A. Johnson
Johnson earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology in 1985and a juris doctorate with honors in 1988, both from OU. While at the OU College of Law, Johnson served on the Oklahoma Law Review.
As a double alum, along with her hard work and talent, Johnson ascended to the highest levels of the corporate world, including the C-Suite at Phillips 66. While serving as the executive vice president and general counsel of the company, she also chose to give back and serve her alma mater as the executive sponsor for the company to OU. She demonstrated tremendous passion, pride and generosity for the university during her decade-long tenure and has been a passionate supporter of new initiatives central to diversity and inclusion.
Jack M. Kinnebrew
Kinnebrew, a native of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, came to the University of Oklahoma on a small scholarship. He graduated as a third generation Sooner in 1963 with a bachelor of business administration in accounting with special distinction.
Kinnebrew excelled as a student at OU, being named a Top 10 Freshman and Big Man on Campus. He was a member of the PE-ET Honor Society, Beta Theta Pi social fraternity and president of the OU Accounting Club. He also served as cadet colonel of the Army ROTC.
He received the silver Letzeiser Award, which are presented to the outstanding seniors for their leadership, scholarship and service to the university and community.
Upon graduation, Kinnebrew was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served two years of active duty in France. Following his military service, he landed a job with a Big 8 accounting firm in Dallas, became a certified public accountant, and met fellow CPA and future wife, Carole.
Earning a juris doctorate and an LL.M. from Southern Methodist University led to a 50-year career in trusts and estates law at one of the largest law firms in Dallas. Kinnebrew gave freely of his time to support and improve the legal profession. As part of the inaugural group of recipients in 1983, he was named a “Best Lawyer in America” by a vote of his peers in estate planning and probate.
Throughout his career, he has contributed his time and effort in support of many philanthropic activities. For almost 40 years, he worked to improve the quality of life for many in North Texas by serving as outside counsel, trustee and executive director of the Communities Foundation of Texas. The SMU Dedman School of Law recognized his service and awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Interest.
Kinnebrew is a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation and continues to honor his Oklahoma heritage. In gratitude to OU and to the Price College of Business, he and his wife established an endowed scholarship in support of students in the Steed School of Accounting. In 2016, he received Price College’s Distinguished Alumni Award and delivered the keynote address at the college’s December convocation. Kinnebrew and his wife are also members of OU’s Seed Sower Society and find great joy in being able to make a meaningful impact in the lives of current and future generations of students.
Retired Lt. Col. Galand Kramer
Shortly after graduating from the University of Oklahoma and becoming an officer in the United States Air Force, Kramer was assigned to the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron Da Nang AFB, RVN, where he flew an F-4 Phantom fighter on missions to attack and disable anti-aircraft batteries defending Hanoi and other heavily defended areas of North Vietnam. On Jan. 19, 1967, he encountered a low cloud ceiling and heavy fire, and he and his fellow senior pilot were forced to eject from the aircraft before being taken prisoner by North Vietnamese soldiers. After spending six years and 24 days as a prisoner of war, Kramer was released during Operation Homecoming on Feb. 12, 1973.
During his captivity, in an atmosphere of enemy harassment and brutal treatment, Kramer continued to establish and maintain communications through unusual and ingenious methods that resulted in American and allied prisoners of war presenting a posture of unity and increased resistance to the enemy’s wishes. At the same time, his actions improved prisoner morale. Through his heroic endeavors and devotion to duty under adverse conditions, Kramer upheld the highest traditions of the United States Air Force.
After a brief hospitalization to recover from prolonged captivity, Kramer returned to active duty and continued his distinguished active-duty Air Force career as a test pilot, squadron commander and instructor until he retired from the Air Force in November 1984. Kramer then worked for Northrop Grumman as a logistics program manager until he permanently retired.
Chun C. Lin
Lin is a consummate educator who has provided mentorship for 49 doctoral graduates, many of whom went on to achieve prominent positions within the field, including Neal Lane, former science advisor to the president of the United States; Donald Johnson, director of the National Technical Information Service; and Jeff Chilton, principal research scientist for the Center for Naval Analyses Corp.
Lin is a member of OU's Seed Sower Society and has given significantly to the university. In 2018, in appreciation of his transformational gift, the OU Board of Regents named a new academic building “Lin Hall,” which is part of the Homer L. Dodge Physics Complex His contribution also helped fund endowments for additional faculty researchers and graduate students. The Center for Quantum Research and Technology, which is housed in Lin Hall, is an inspiring new home for transformative research and will make OU a global leader in the rapidly advancing quantum field.
Jerald “Jerry” Merriman
Upon receiving his first professional degree in architecture from OU, Merriman moved to Dallas, eventually opening Merriman Architects in 1987 alongside his wife, Deby. Merriman’s firm made its first donation to OU in 1993, only six years after it was founded. Since then, he has supported OU and advanced its mission of excellence in a myriad of ways. He has served on the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Board of Visitors since 2010, and has been chair of the board since 2014. He has been a key advisor to Dean Hans E. Butzer in formulating the college’s ambitious 26x26 capital campaign to be launched later this year. Since 1993, Merriman has generously contributed in excess of $700,000 to the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife, Deby, have created life-changing scholarships for architecture students, and since 2018, has underwritten the college’s annual scholarship event. In appreciation for their generous support, various spaces throughout Gould Hall are named in their honor.
In business, Merriman's firm has been a beacon for College of Architecture graduates, and his firm employs countless alumni. Among them, one recent graduate who has been entrusted to lead the firm Merriman helped found. In 2019, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dallas Business Journal. His firm was also recognized as the AIA Dallas Firm of the Year and has received numerous AIA Design Awards.
Kerry M. Moreland
In her 17-year career at ExxonMobil, Moreland has worked on projects in more than 25 countries across the globe. Until recently, she served as the vice president for established areas for exploration and new ventures where she was responsible for managing the corporation’s exploration acreage in-and-around established assets, and for evaluating new opportunities across a broad geographic spectrum. In April 2022, she moved into a senior corporate advisor role at ExxonMobil headquarters in Irving, Texas.
Moreland began her career at ExxonMobil in 2005 following an internship with Devon Energy during graduate school. Her first few years with the company were spent working abroad in Malaysia, Germany and Australia. She has been on the rise ever since, proving to be an influential and impactful advocate for the company. Most notably, from 2014 to 2017, Moreland served as the exploration manager for the Guyana Basin where the corporation announced multiple discoveries, including in 2015 the world-class Liza discovery. ExxonMobil has made more than 25 discoveries on the block to date and recently announced nearly 11 billion oil equivalent barrels of recoverable resource.
Moreland graduated summa cum laude from OU in 2005, having earned her bachelor’s in geoscience and a masters in geophysics. While at OU, she worked as a lab assistant in the paleomagnetics lab. She also found time to participate on the bowling team, an OU club sport, and earned several honors. Despite the extensive demands of her job at ExxonMobil, her bowling has continued to improve. Earlier this year, she was inducted into the Houston Bowling Hall of Fame. She was also named Texas Female Bowler of the Year.
Moreland’s extensive work in developing countries has positioned her as a sustainable advocate, witnessing firsthand the positive impact of investing in women and the opportunities the energy sector provides to build communities. Receiving national attention as a leader in the profession, she is featured in numerous journals and is a go-to presenter, presenting keynotes at the International Petroleum Technology Conference and the Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy.
As a member of the President’s Associates, Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy Board of Visitors and the School of Geosciences Alumni Advisory Council, Moreland continues to advocate for women in STEM, diversity and the importance of energy for developing nations.
Dr. Jerry Vannatta
Part of what makes Vannatta’s career and legacy so meaningful is his unique approach to the study and practice of medicine. He integrates humanistic values with a traditional scientific approach in the treatment of people. This trademark lens has earned Vannatta national recognition and has differentiated him as a medical practitioner and educator. In 2016,. Vannatta was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. He also received an honorary doctorate from Oklahoma City University in the same year.
In 2021, Vannatta committed a $1 million gift to support the OU College of Medicine’s Academy of Teaching Scholars, a service organization that fosters excellence in teaching and health professions education. The gift will allow the academy to continue its important work of nurturing, recognizing and rewarding teaching excellence among the college’s faculty.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information visit ou.edu.
About the University of Oklahoma Foundation
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