At its spring Board meeting and honors celebration on May 20, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation welcomed two new Directors and recognized scientists for their work.
Additionally, OMRF President Andrew Weyrich, Ph.D., honored a retiring school superintendent for his district’s longtime support of OMRF.
The new OMRF Board members are Gary Brooks of Oklahoma City and Dori Smith of Duncan.
Brooks is a commercial real estate developer whose work includes the restoration of the downtown First National Center.
“My understanding of OMRF and its mission became much more intimate through my passion project of helping Oklahoma City become one of the healthiest cities in the nation,” Brooks said. “That passion aligns perfectly with the goals of OMRF’s healthy-aging research.”
Smith is chief executive officer of Inland Empire Tech Center, a real estate investment company. She also is president of the H.M. Lewis Medical Research Foundation, which has provided significant philanthropic support to OMRF.
“The ability to serve OMRF, where research and clinical applications can move directly to the patient, is both exciting and deeply rewarding,” Smith said. “I have worked with other research institutions where that has not been the case, which makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.”
Also rejoining the Board is Gary Pierson, who previously served from 2004 to 2019. Pierson, an attorney, served as president and chief executive officer of OPUBCO.
The Board gave its Distinguished Service Award to Harrison Levy, an OMRF Director since 1995. Earlier this year, Levy’s $1 million gift established the Levy and Ray Family Laboratory for Alzheimer’s Research at OMRF.
In addition, the Board honored the following Directors for their service: Dee Replogle, 50 years; Barbara Braught, 30 years; and Virginia Groendyke, 25 years.
OMRF presented the following awards to foundation scientists:
- Fred Jones Award for Scientific Achievement: Jacquelyn Gorman, Ph.D.
- J. Donald & Patricia H. Capra Award for Scientific Achievement: Tommy Lewis Jr., Ph.D.
- Merrick Award for Outstanding Medical Research: Courtney Montgomery, Ph.D.
- Stephen M. Prescott Award for the Best and Brightest David Hughes, Ph.D., and Amanda Sharpe, Ph.D.
- Edward L. & Thelma Gaylord prize for Scientific Excellence: Michael Beckstead, Ph.D.
Weyrich presented the President’s Award to Dr. Fred Rhodes, who is retiring after a 50-year career in public education, primarily in the Putnam City School District. Since 2013 he has served as its superintendent.
OMRF’s partnership with Putnam City Schools dates to 1975, when the district designated the foundation as beneficiary of its annual cancer drive. Since then, the effort has raised $4 million for research at OMRF. That research has led, among other things, to an experimental brain cancer drug now undergoing clinical trials.
“Dr. Rhodes has been an amazing advocate for biomedical research at OMRF that advances human health,” Weyrich said. “We are extremely grateful to him and to everyone from the Putnam City district who has supported our efforts to make meaningful progress in the fight against cancer and other chronic diseases.”
