Hall of Fame
The Ropers Who Made a Difference.
Celebrating the Will Rogers alumni who have gone on to shape Tulsa, and the world, through their work, their service, and the lives they’ve touched.
Will Rogers has a long tradition of honoring its distinguished alumni at special ceremonies held over the years. The Hall of Fame was the Foundation’s first initiative, long before the Foundation’s mission grew to include direct support for today’s students. It remains the Foundation’s way of saying: this school produces people worth celebrating, and their stories are worth telling.
Each year, a new class of inductees is added, chosen by a selection committee from nominations submitted by the Will Rogers community.
Search below to explore inductees by name, year, or field of endeavor.
Class of Excellence
All Inductees
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Then
Now
Frank Morsani
Business & Technology Built a large network of automobile dealerships across four states and chaired the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1985-1986. View bio -
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Frank Pitezel
Civic Leadership Bronze Star engineer and utility engineering director who served ten years in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. View bio -
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Now
Fred Sanders
Business & Technology Aerospace engineer on the Mercury, Gemini and Skylab programs who won NASA's Prestigious Public Service Award in 1974. View bio -
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Gailard Sartain
Arts & Culture Hee Haw regular for twenty years who appeared in over 50 motion pictures and works as a painter and illustrator. View bio -
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Now
Gary Fife
Media & Journalism Muscogee (Creek) journalist who founded National Native News, the first Native weekday radio news service in the U.S. View bio -
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Gil Cloud
Athletics Raised nearly $100 million for Tulsa school athletic facilities and won three Oklahoma Athletics Director of the Year titles. View bio -
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Now
Gordon Morgan
Athletics Coached at Will Rogers from 1962 to 1988, winning four state baseball championships with a 502-198 career record. View bio -
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Now
Gordona Moore Duca
Business & Technology Tulsa realtor who opened her own firm in 1975 and was later named Oklahoma Business Woman of the Year by The Journal Record. View bio -
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Now
Herald Givens
Civic Leadership Community volunteer who supported The Little Light House for 35 years and won Leadership Tulsa's Paragon Award. View bio -
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Now
J. David Nunneley
Arts & Culture Held five U.S. patents in oil and gas before turning full-time sculptor in 1995, with monuments across North America. View bio -
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James D. Dunn
Business & Technology Managed mission trajectory control for Gemini and Apollo, then grew his family's Tulsa lumber company into a national firm. View bio -
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James Russell
Education Sociologist and author of eight books who took part in the 1964 Tulsa sit-ins and was first editor of New Left Notes. View bio
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Hall of Fame Nominations
Know Someone Who Deserves This Recognition?
The Hall of Fame honors Will Rogers alumni who have made extraordinary contributions to their field and to their community. Nominations are reviewed annually by our selection committee. To be considered for an induction class, a nomination must be submitted or postmarked by 5:00 p.m. on August 31; later nominations may be held for the class after.
- Must be a graduate of Will Rogers High School (now Will Rogers College Middle and High School)
- Demonstrated excellence in their field of endeavor
- Positive impact on their community or society at large
Full eligibility requirements, the review timeline, and what to include in a nomination are outlined in our Nomination Rules and Procedures.
Nominations are closed for this year.
View Nomination Rules and Procedures (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
