July 16, 2024
SWOSU Press Release
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) has announced a major charitable gift from longtime benefactors and SWOSU alumni Mike and Judy (Smalley) Wilkes of Oklahoma City.
The generous gift will allow for the full endowment of the Bud & Wanda Smalley Memorial Scholarship Fund which was established in 2017 to provide financial assistance to SWOSU students from Caddo County, Oklahoma who are studying in SWOSU’s Everett Dobson College of Business at the Junior and Senior levels.
“Mike and Judy Wilkes are ‘true blue’ SWOSU alumni who have generously given back to their alma mater for decades,” said SWOSU President Dr. Diana R. “Diane” Lovell. “We are deeply grateful to Mike and Judy for their latest investment in our work here on the Hilltop.”
Judy (Smalley) Wilkes is a 1976 SWOSU graduate and an Emerita Trustee of the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. Mike Wilkes is a 1975 SWOSU graduate and a Past President of the SWOSU Alumni Association. The Wilkeses founded Houston-based Arrow Industrial Equipment in 1997 and Southwestern Paint Panels in 2006 and operated the firms until 2023, retiring in 2024.
Earl Weaver “Bud” Smalley, Jr. was born on Nov. 19, 1932, son of Earl and Mary (Woodward) Smalley north of Eakly, Oklahoma. Wanda Lou Seymour was born on Oct. 5, 1932, daughter of Randolph ‘Colonel” and Cora Seymour of Oklahoma City. The two were married on Jan. 19, 1953, and their union of 63 years was a joyful one. The Smalleys raised a family of four daughters in Eakly where the family farmed peanuts and cotton. The Smalleys were also commercially involved in the Eakly Farmers Cooperative Gin, the Eakly Propane Company, and had banking and funeral home interests. The Smalleys were devoted members of the Eakly United Methodist Church and were proud grandparents of ten and great-grandparents of two. The Smalleys were champions of higher education, and took great pride in the fact that all four of their daughters, all four of the Smalley sons-in-law, and seven of their ten grandchildren are SWOSU alumni.
The Bud & Wanda Smalley Memorial Scholarship Fund is stewarded by the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. The Foundation was established in 1977 as SWOSU’s independent nonprofit partner. The Foundation is based on SWOSU’s Weatherford campus in the historic Burton House and works to promote philanthropy and distribute funds to support the activities and programs of SWOSU.
For more information, please call 580-774-3267 or visit www.SWOSUFoundation.com.
Copyright 2024 Paragon Communications. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.
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