Remembering David Boren
David L. Boren began his five-decade career of service to Oklahoma and the nation while still a student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, when he launched a successful campaign for the Oklahoma State House of Representatives in 1966. Elected the country’s youngest governor in 1974, Boren rose to a 16-year term as one of the most influential United States senators and remains the longest-serving chairman of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. Boren’s 1994 return to OU as its 13th president saw the start of a 24-year mission to elevate the prestige of the university through his profound belief in the power of education, creating pathways to opportunity for countless students. To learn more about the Boren legacy, visit Sooner Magazine's special commemorative 2018 issue here.
Grammy Family
1982 OU College of Medicine alum Dr. Leon Serchuk joined friends and collaborators onstage at February’s 2025 Grammy Awards when Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band won best children’s album for “Brillo! Brillo!” Serchuk (seen here second row, second from right) is an assistant clinical professor of radiology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, a longtime member of the OU College of Medicine Alumni Association Board of Trustees and an avid percussionist who lent his talents to the Family Jam Band. “We are incredibly honored by this Grammy win—a celebration of our 15-year journey making music for children,” says Lucky Diaz.
Honoring a Tech Giant
Mike Maples could hardly have imagined the career that awaited him upon graduating from OU in 1965 with a degree in electrical engineering. Maples, who died in January 2025, became a pioneering technology executive who helped shape the modern computing industry. The Shawnee, Okla., native enjoyed a two-decade career at IBM before joining Microsoft in 1988 at the invitation of Bill Gates. Maples served as head of products for seven years, helping Microsoft emerge as a global technology leader. Now, his memory is being honored through the Mike Maples Memorial Fund at the OU Foundation, benefitting future students at the Gallogly College of Engineering.
The Pollinator Bridge
As the climate warms, pollinators like native bees and flower flies are emerging before the flowers that sustain them bloom—or sometimes, the reverse is true. A team of undergraduate researchers within the OU Environmental Studies program collaborated with Keng-Lou James Hung, assistant professor at the Oklahoma Biological Survey, to identify plant species that could help bridge the food-supply gap. Their findings encourage the public to plant hollies, plums, serviceberries and native species like redbud trees. “If pollinator groups disappear, entire ecosystems could be destabilized,” says team researcher Brooke Haden.
Price College Ranked in Top 10% of Business Programs
OU’s Michael F. Price College of Business is ranked in the top 10% of national undergraduate business programs, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2025 Best Colleges. Price ranks No. 33 for undergraduate business programs, jumping 17 spots in just one year. The college also ranks first among Oklahoma business programs, with its entrepreneurship program coming in at No. 14 and international business program ranking No. 12 among public universities.
Dr. Dave
David Schrage came to OU to earn a Ph.D. shortly after serving in Vietnam. He became a conductor of student experiences, from overseeing housing and food services to sitting on doctoral committees and supervising more than 600 employees in residence halls, apartment complexes and food service operations across three campuses. Schrage, who died in October 2024, also managed the renovation and expansion of Oklahoma Memorial Union. The three-time recipient of OU’s highest student-selected honor, the Outstanding Administrator Award, “Dr. Dave” retired as associate vice president for OU Student Affairs in 2001, but his legacy lives on in countless alumni whose lives he touched.
Sooner Magazine Brings Home the Gold
Sooner Magazine received a 2024 Circle of Excellence Gold Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education—the global nonprofit dedicated to educational advancement. Travis Caperton’s photo of OU voice professor Joel Burcham in the spring 2023 story, The Headbanger’s Overture, was selected from more than 600 institutions representing 28 countries. Sooner also took six regional awards for design, writing and photography in the CASE District IV competition, encompassing Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana. Congratulations and thanks to all our collaborators!
Lighting up the Obies
2015 OU Weitzehnoffer College of Fine Arts graduate Adam Honoré recently was honored with the 2024 Obie Award for Sustained Achievement in Design in recognition of his lighting work on productions of The Lonely Few, Cats and I Can Get it for You Wholesale--all within one year. The Obies honor excellence in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatre. In 2022, Honoré became the first OU alum to head the lighting design for a Broadway production for Chicken and Biscuits.
Mystery Solved!
Sooner Magazine’s “Mystery Photo” for Fall 2024, “Who’s That RUF/NEK?” was identified as the late Paul Maslack, OU BS Pet. Eng. ’77, by two sharp readers— former RUF/NEK Martin Hipschman, OU BBA ’73, and Bill Billings, a 1980s OU RUF/NEK. Almost hidden at Maslack’s side was Suzy Skaar. “I was a farm kid from Illinois,” she said. “When I was the RUF/NEK queen, I was treated with such kindness and grace. So many good memories.” Skaar went on to become a professor of photography at universities in Southern California and a Polaroid Corp. consultant working with celebrities from Jimmy Stewart to Michael Jackson.