Oklahoma State University - Alumni Association

Nominations

Anyone may nominate an alum they feel is deserving of one of the Association's awards by submitting a completed awards nomination form. Nomination Form
Nominations for the 2013-2014 awards are due March 15, 2013.

For more information or to receive nomination forms by mail, contact:

Melissa Mourer
405.744.3388

2012 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

The Oklahoma State University Alumni Association is pleased to recognize the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients at a public reception Saturday, Sept. 15, at 9 a.m. at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center and at the OSU football game against Louisiana. The award is presented to alumni for professional achievement and community service.

CONNIE MITCHELL of Glen Rose, Texas, graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in business education and finance in 1972. She currently owns and operates Ten Triple X Ranch in the Texas hill country with her husband, Joe.

For more than 20 years she held various teaching positions in the field of accounting, finance and tax, and served as CAO for a telecom company. She and Joe have both been part of the OSU distinguished lecture series.

Together the couple has started more than seven different successful businesses ranging in the industries of telecommunications, oil and gas services, oilfield water disposal and recycling, funeral services, land development, and finally to a large cattle operation.

Connie and Joe have helped more than 100 students obtain higher education degrees through their philanthropic support. Their generosity to OSU resulted in the renaming of the Joe and Connie Mitchell Academic Enhancement Center for student athletes.

Connie is a member of the OSU Spears School of Business Hall of Fame and serves on the board of Women of OSU. She is a Life Member of the OSU Alumni Association.

JOE MITCHELL of Glen Rose, Texas, graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering in 1974. He currently owns and operates Ten Triple X Ranch in the Texas hill country with his wife, Connie.

Joe was named Entrepreneur of the Year by The Wall Street Journal, CNN and Ernst & Young in 1998. He and Connie have both been part of the OSU distinguished lecture series.

Together the couple has started more than seven different successful businesses ranging in the industries of telecommunications, oil and gas services, oilfield water disposal and recycling, funeral services, land development, and finally to a large cattle operation.

Joe and Connie have helped more than 100 students obtain higher education degrees through their philanthropic support. Their generosity to OSU resulted in the renaming of the Joe and Connie Mitchell Academic Enhancement Center for student athletes.

Joe was awarded an honorary business degree from the OSU Spears School of Business and is a member of the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame. He is a Life Member of the OSU Alumni Association.

NEAL L. PATTERSON graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1971 and a master’s degree in business administration in 1972. Patterson is the chairman, CEO, president and co-founder of Cerner Corporation, the largest independent healthcare information technology company in the world.

Patterson has been named one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare five times and ranked in the top five on the Forbes’ annual list of America’s Best CEOs in 2010 and 2012. He is the 2003 co-recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award and co-recipient of the 1991 Entrepreneur of the Year Award by Ernst & Young.

Patterson is a lifetime director and former chairman of The American Royal Board of Directors and a former member of the RAND Health Advisory Board. He currently serves as a trustee of the Midwest Research Institute, a trustee of the Village of Loch Lloyd and as a co-founding member of Entrepreneurs’ Exchange.

Patterson is active in healthcare leadership networks and local entrepreneurial organizations and enthusiastically gives him time to support the development of other entrepreneurs. He was honored as the guest speaker at the 50th anniversary of the MBA program for OSU in Kansas City.

Patterson co-founded and serves on the executive board of Cerner’s nonprofit, the First Hand Foundation, providing financial assistance to children with critical healthcare needs. He is a passionate co-owner of the Kansas City Wizards Major League Soccer team and a lifetime director of the American Royal livestock show and rodeo.

Patterson is a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and was inducted into the Greater Kansas City Business Hall of Fame and the Spears School of Business Hall of Fame. He is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.

CLAYTON TAYLOR of Oklahoma City, Okla. graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1974. He serves as the principal of the Taylor Group he established in 1994, a full-service lobbying and consulting firm specializing in Oklahoma business issues.

During his time at OSU, Taylor was named the Outstanding Senior Man in the College of Business Administration and a Top Ten Senior of the university. OSU recognized Taylor as an Outstanding Greek Man and Phi Delta Theta recognized him as the Outstanding Undergraduate Man in the U.S. and Canada. Taylor served as president of the Business Student Council, Phi Delta Theta, President’s Leadership class and Gamma Gamma Honorary. He also served as the State 4-H Club President.

Taylor is a former president/chairman of the OSU Alumni Association Board of Directors and previously chaired the site selection and building design committee for the $14 million ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center.

A native Oklahoman, Taylor grew up on a small family ranch near Oktaha in Muskogee County. He is the first male in his family to ever graduate high school or college. He began his career in Washington, D.C., working on the staffs of five members of the U.S. House of Representatives, starting as a correspondence assistant and working his way up to the top position becoming the youngest Administrative Assistant on Capitol Hill at the age of 25.

Taylor was a founder of Leadership Oklahoma and served as board president. He served as alumni president of Leadership Oklahoma City, administrative board chairman of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, and founding chairman of Oklahoma Leadership Congress. Taylor has served on the boards of Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, Ballet Oklahoma, Oklahoma Heritage Association and the community advisory board of the Oklahoma City Junior League. The Oklahoma 4-H Club Foundation recognized him as their Outstanding 4-H Alum. He served as a member of the OSU Foundation’s Board of Governors. He is past chairman of the board for Rural Enterprises Institute of Oklahoma and Past President for Oklahoma City Rotary Club #29 (third largest Rotary Club in the world). This past spring the Rotary International Foundation recognized Taylor with their Meritorious Service Award for his International Work and Leadership efforts.

Clayton is married to Marnie Taylor and they have two sons, Clay and Clark. Clay graduated from OSU in 2012 and is currently in law school at Oklahoma City University. Clark is a senior at OSU. Clayton, Clay, Becky and Clary are all life members of the OSU Alumni Association.

JERRY WINCHESTER of Nichols Hills, Okla., graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology and mechanical power in 1983. With more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry, Winchester is the now CEO of Chesapeake Energy’s Oilfield Services.

During his time at OSU, Winchester lettered three times as a defensive lineman on the Cowboy football team, received Academic All Big 8 honors and was a member of the Society of Mechanical Technology.

His professional career began with Halliburton in 1981. After moving up the ranks through various positions and traveling the globe, Winchester left Halliburton in 1998 to become the president and CEO of the global pressure control company, Boots & Coots, Inc.

DeMarche Associates named Winchester one of America’s 100 Best CEOs. Formerly the Gulf Coast district director for the Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association, Jerry is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, as well the International Association of Drilling Contractors where he serves on association’s well control committee.

The Dickson High School fitness and weight room was recently renamed the Jerry Winchester Center in honor of his generous donation and support of his hometown football team for which he played. Winchester serves as associate director of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and is a former member and board secretary for Duncan Regional Hospital.

Winchester was chairman of the board for the OSU Alumni Association and president of the Houston OSU Alumni Chapter. He serves on the Board of Trustees and Board of Governors for the OSU Foundation.

Jerry and his wife, Rae, are avid OSU fans, OSU POSSE members and O-Club life members. In addition to hunting and flying, Winchester enjoys spending time with his two daughters, Leigh and Abbie. He is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.

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2012 Distinguished Alumni Honorees