March 1, 2024
SWOSU Press Release
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) with locations in Weatherford, Sayre, and Yukon has announced the establishment of the Hook Family Endowment.
The new endowment has been generously funded by longtime SWOSU benefactors Carl and Sandra Hook of Norman. The endowment will provide scholarships support in perpetuity to SWOSU students of the Junior and/or Senior classifications who are studying in the SWOSU Department of Math and the SWOSU Department of Chemistry & Physics.
“We are deeply grateful to Carl and Sandra Hook for this latest major philanthropic investment in our work here at SWOSU,” said SWOSU President Dr. Diana R. “Diane” Lovell. “SWOSU students in the Departments of Math and of Chemistry & Physics will benefit for decades to come from the generosity represented by the Hook Family Endowment.”
Carl Hook attended Thomas Public Schools prior to moving to Weatherford for high school. At SWOSU he studied Chemistry, Math, and Biology, graduating in 1967. Carl’s parents—father William Dean Hook and mother Dorothy K. Brundage—and older sibling—Dorothy Dean Hook—were all alumni of SWOSU, and his uncle, Thomas area pharmacist Bert Brundage, was instrumental in the establishment of the SWOSU College of Pharmacy and served on the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE). Carl’s wife, Sandra (Combs) Hook, is also a proud SWOSU alumnae along with Carl and Sandra’s grandson, Austin Loomis, who graduated in 2018 after serving as SWOSU’s Student Body President and playing for the SWOSU Football team; Austin’s wife, Meagan, graduated from SWOSU in 2019.
Carl Hook earned an M. D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 1970. Hook undertook surgical training at St. Anthony’s Hospital and specialty training in Otorhinolaryngology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Following just under three decades of private medical practice Hook became President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Chairman of Physicians Liability Insurance Company (PLICO), a firm owned by the Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA) that functions as the dominant provider of medical professional liability insurance in the State of Oklahoma. In 2015, Hook negotiated the sale of PLICO to The Medical Protective Company (whose parent company is Berkshire Hathaway), the largest medical liability insurer in the United States. Although retired from active management as of 2017 Hook continues to serve as Chairman of the PLICO Advisory Board of Physicians.
Carl Hook is a Past Chair of the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees and in 2019 he received SWOSU’s highest honor: induction into the SWOSU Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. Carl and Sandra have been married for over 59 years; the Hooks are proud parents of two, grandparents of five, and great-grandparents to one beautiful little girl. The Hooks are active members of McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church.
The Hook Family Endowment is stewarded by the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. The Foundation was established in 1977 to promote philanthropy, award scholarships, and distribute funds to support the activities and programs of SWOSU. For more information about the Hook Family Endowment or any SWOSU Foundation, Inc. funds, please contact the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. at 580-774-3267 or visit www.SWOSUFoundation.com.
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