Clarence G. Oliver Jr. to speak at Rotary

ADA — Ada native Clarence G. Oliver Jr. is to speak at the upcoming Rotary meeting. He has been a teacher, journalist, Army officer, school administrator, newspaper editor and publisher, author, university professor and dean of a university school of education.

Most recently the Dean of Education at Oral Roberts University and named by the university regents as Dean Emeritus in 1999, he is best known for his work as superintendent at Broken Arrow Public Schools where he as a school administrator for 32 years during the years when Broken Arrow was recognized as the fastest growing school district in Oklahoma and one of the fastest growing communities in the nation.

He continues with the university work, serving as Emeritus Professor, teaching in the ORU Graduate School of Education and serving on doctoral dissertation committees.

In 2002, the Cooperative Council of Oklahoma School Administrators published Oliver’s book “Ethical Behavior — An Administrator’s Guide on Ethics and Values in School Administration,” for distribution to all the organization’s members. The book has been chosen as a supplemental textbook in some graduate school courses at universities and colleges.

Oliver wrote of his childhood days in Ada in his 2004 book, “One from the Least Disappearing Generation,” a memoir of a depression-era kid.

For a four-year period prior to Broken Arrow’s Centennial Year, Oliver served as chairman of the editorial committee and was general editor and co-author of Broken Arrow’s Centennial history book, “Broken Arrow: The First Hundred Years.”

Oliver’s newest book is “Tony Dufflebag ... and Other Remembrances of the War in Korea.”

Oliver and his young family moved to Broken Arrow in 1955 when he joined the Broken Arrow High School faculty as an English and journalism teacher. The next year, he returned to his journalism roots, becoming the managing editor of the Broken Arrow Ledger and other newspapers owned by McWilliams Publications, Inc. In 1961, he became the marketing education teacher at Broken Arrow High School, and then became the assistant superintendent to then Superintendent Norval Baldwin. In 1974, he was named Broken Arrow superintendent of schools and served in that role until his retirement from the school system in 1992 after 32 years with Broken Arrow Public Schools.

After retiring in July 1992, he joined Retherford Publications, Inc., as publisher of the Broken Arrow Scout and assistant to owner/publisher Bill Retherford, who was publisher of several other Tulsa area newspapers. In 1993, he was invited to become associated with ORU to lead in development of new graduate degree programs and was named Dean of the School of Education. Oliver served in that capacity until 1999 when he was named to faculty emeritus status.

Oliver was born in Ada, where he attended public schools and graduated from Ada High School in 1947. He attended ECU, OSU, TU and the United States Army Advanced Officers Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga.

He received his master’s and doctorate degrees from TU where he received the Distinguished Alumnus recognition in 1986. He was inducted in the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame in 1989 and was honored as Distinguished Alumnus at ECU in 1991. In April 2007, Oliver was inducted into the Educators Hall of Fame at ECU.

In June 1999, Oklahoma Association of School Administrators recognized Oliver for four decades of service to education with the presentation of the Lifetime achievement Award for Distinguished Service to Education. Executive Educator Magazine twice selected him in the 100 Outstanding educators of the United States and Canada awards program.

Oliver and his wife, Vinita, have been married for 57 years. They have three children, Mark, Paul and Shirley, all are graduates of Broken Arrow Public Schools, seven grandchildren and one great-grandson.