There are now three new members of the Gene and Evelyn Keefer Educator’s Hall of Fame at East Central University.
Dr. Pam Deering, Dr. Tim Green (posthumously) and Jackie ‘Tex’ Rollins were formally enshrined in a ceremony held July 9 inside the Danley Hall Atrium.
Dr. Pam Deering
Deering is currently the superintendent for Midwest City-Del City Schools since March after serving as deputy superintendent of fiscal services and human resources there from 2011-12 and assistant superintendent of fiscal services and executive director of fiscal services from 1995-2011.
She also held positions of executive director of budget and financial management for Moore Schools (1993-94); director of budget and financial management for Oklahoma City Schools (1988-93); and assistant state superintendent, director of finance, assistant director of financial services, assistant administrator coordinator and coordinator for the special education department for the Oklahoma State Department of Education (1977-88).
Deering also served as a floating teacher specialist and special education teacher for the Fort Worth (Texas) Independent School District (1973-77).
She received a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from ECU in 1973, master of education in supervision and special education from Texas Woman’s University in 1976 and a doctor of philosophy in education administration-curriculum and instruction from the University of Oklahoma in 1977.
Deering has received numerous honors and awards, including the OASA Central Office Superintendent of the Year for 2009-10 and Oklahoma Association of School Business Officials School Business Official of the Year, also for 2009-10.
She is active in professional and civic organizations, currently serving on the Oklahoma Council for Educational Opportunity for Military Children, Central Oklahoma Red Cross, Tinker Air Force Base COMMSTAR Leadership Program and the State Superintendent’s Superintendent Advisory Board to name a few.
Deering lived at attended school in Elmore City, before graduating from there in 1970.
She is married to Maj. Gen. Myles Deering, the adjutant general for the Oklahoma National Guard and a former Ada resident. They are the parents of Daniel and wife Heather and granddaughter, Adelyn.
During the ceremony, Deering reflected on how ECU set the bar high and pushed her to being the educator she became. She talked about making a ‘D’ on her first term paper in one of her classes, but through encouragement, pulled off an ‘A’. Deering met her future husband Myles at ECU and many members of her family also attended ECU.
Dr. Tim Green
Green taught undergraduate and graduate courses in reading methods while serving as director of athletics at ECU for 25 years until his retirement in 2006. He also served on numerous committees at ECU and was ultimately inducted into the ECU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
Green was editor for 25 years of the “Oklahoma Reader”, a state publication for reading teachers. He also served the community in many capacities, including a term as director of the board of directors for Valley View Regional Hospital.
He was born in Asher and graduated from Asher Public Schools before attending East Central State College his freshman year. He transferred to Oklahoma State on a baseball scholarship, while majoring in business administration. While at OSU, Green was a member of the Cowboys’ baseball team which won a 1959 national championship.
Green went on to graduate from Henderson State College (Ark.) with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education. He completed his doctorate at the University of Oklahoma in 1970.
He went on teach at Memphis State University before coming to ECU.
At the time of his death in 2011, Green had been married to his wife, Paula, for 52 years. Their daughter, Kelly, is married to Jeff Maloy and they have four children.
Paula, speaking on behalf of her late husband Tim at the ceremony, reflected on his post-retirement and how she and Tim went to various schools for advisement purposes. Paula would load up his wheelchair and she would drive him to some schools, some she never heard of. Once inside those school buildings, there were many people, particularly women, who would shout out hello Dr. Green or Mr. Green. Paula jokingly admitted he must have had hundreds of girlfriends.
Jackie ‘Tex’ Rollins
Rollins began his educational journey under the tutelage of Mrs. Shirley Durkee-Logan, his history teacher at Burnett High School in Terrell, Texas. She directed him to ECU (then called East Central State College), where he earned his bachelor’s degree and was a member of the Tiger football team.
Upon returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam, Rollins taught at Byng and received his master’s degree from ECU. While working on a degree in administration at Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma), he was offered a teaching and coaching position at Carl Albert High School in Midwest City. He continues to teach there and serves as head track coach and as an assistant football coach for the Titans.
Rollins serves on the Mid-Del School District’s negotiating team and is retired from the Oklahoma National Guard and from officiating high school and college football.
During the ceremony, he reflected on his time when he first came to ECU and attended a swimming class. He and his fellow students were told by their instructor Billie Floyd to go to the deep end of the pool if they knew how to swim and go to the shallow end if they couldn’t. Though Rollins could not swim, he opted to go the deep end anyway which led to him sinking quickly to the bottom of the pool. Before he knew it Floyd was there with a pole for him to grab on to and Rollins was pulled to safety. Hence, he learned to be truthful from then on.