Past Inductees — The Oklahoma Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials

Leon E. Nelson

Leon E. Nelson

Leon Nelson has been a mentor to many young people who launched successful local government careers under his tutelage. It is not surprising then that he credits educator/banker Dr. Eugene Swearingen and Gerald Wilkins, then City Manager of Enid, as the inspirations for his career in City Management. In 1957, as Dean of the College of Business at Oklahoma A&M, Swearingen encouraged Leon to apply for a summer internship with the legendary Wilkins. A year later he became Assistant City Manager at Ponca City and then was City Manager there from May 1959 until May of 1978.

NMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202001

Lawrence Lee Gish

Lawrence Lee Gish

The Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials may induct one person posthumously each year. For 2002, an individual was selected not only for the changes he helped to bring about in Oklahoma but also for international leadership in his profession. Lawrence Lee (Larry) Gish is another Kansan, like Ernest, who created legacies in his adopted state. Born at home during a near-blizzard in Little River, Kansas, Larry learned early from his parents the value of autonomy, warm support, and humor as fundamental life tools. Hallmarks of his career were commitment to the needs of the weak and relatively powerless, a sense of social justice, and listening to those often ignored by others.

GMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202002

Larry Hansen

Larry Hansen

The Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame biography for Lawrence Oliver Hansen notes that he may have redefined the two simple words “community service”. Now, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials posthumously recognizes him for his outstanding contributions to community service, along with the educational and operational aspects of municipal government throughout Oklahoma.

HMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202011

Larry Shelton

Larry Shelton

Larry Joseph Shelton began his municipal government career in November 1982 as Assistant City Manager in Guthrie. This position followed 12 years in private sector engineering or county planning and development jobs. He retired June 30, 2011, after 20 years as the city manager of Chickasha. He now resides in Norman. Larry served in city management positions for nearly 30 years, including stints in Maumelle, Arkansas, and Chandler, Oklahoma. He is one of the few individuals to receive the highest honors granted by both the Oklahoma Municipal League and the City Management Association of Oklahoma. As such he is a past recipient of the Don Rider Award from OML and the Gerald Wilkins Award from CMAO.

SMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202011

Kevin Del McCullough

Kevin Del McCullough

In addition to other professional positions, Kevin McCullough assisted the Town of Earlsboro to establish a Police Department, serving as Chief of Police for over 2 years. He is a member of the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police, Association of Public Safety Communication Officials, American Jailer Association, Oklahoma Code Enforcement Association, Association of Law Enforcement Response Trainers International, Oklahoma Association of Public Safety Communications Officers and the International Conference of Police Chaplains.

MMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202016

John Clair Ramey

John Clair Ramey

He retired in May 2015, for the third time, after a nearly 45 year career that began in the fire service, then as a City Clerk and finally as a City Manager and Town Administrator. He is the only inductee to serve as the chief official over two municipal departments, as well as the executive officer of both a city and a town; and as president of two-statewide professional associations.

RMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202016

Joe Williams

Joe Williams

In the past 19 years, Joe Edward Williams has used his seat on the Bixby City Council to become a highly regarded leader for intergovernmental cooperation and economic development in the greater metropolitan area. At the same time, he oversaw numerous developments and facilities to improve the quality of life for citizens of Bixby. Joe has been a member of the Bixby City Council since 1989. Fellow council members elected him Mayor for terms running from 1989 to 1991 and again from 1993 to 2006.

WMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202008

Jessie Nelson

Jessie Nelson

Jessie James Nelson, known to most as "Jess", served on the Guymon City Council for 28 years, the last 14 as Mayor, ending in 2005 when he did not seek re-election. During his service, he distinguished himself state-wide for performing, as Representative Gus Blackwell describes it, "yeoman work in representing and furthering rural issues for small cities"- no easy task given the driving distance from Guymon to other parts of the state.

NMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202005

Jerry Johnston

Jerry Johnston

In 1983, when the small town of Braman received their first grant to build a sewer lagoon; they needed someone with time, energy, and patience to administer the program. These qualities became even more critical when the general contractor absconded with the first $90,000 project payment. Chosen as project manager was Jerry Johnston. Very shortly, he also became Mayor.

JMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202003

Jeff Shockley

Jeff Shockley

Jeff served 26 years on the City Council of Poteau Oklahoma, the first six as a councilmember and the next twenty as mayor. He is the recipient of the 2006 Oklahoma Mayor of the Year for Large Cities presented by the Oklahoma Conference of Mayors.

SMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202019

James C. Reynolds

James C. Reynolds

Not many in Oklahoma can say that their community grew nearly six-fold in population while they were in office. But if you have been on the Broken Arrow City Council since 1975, you can. However, people are not selected for this Hall of Fame only for their leadership or accomplishments in their community. In addition to numerous local achievements during the more than 27 years James Reynolds has served as a Councilman and Mayor in Broken Arrow, he also has been a vital force for municipal government in other arenas.

RMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202002

James Couch

James Couch

While other Oklahoma City officials have been recognized for establishing “The Oklahoma Standard” for emergency response after the Murrah Building Bombing, Jim Couch is widely recognized for setting “The Oklahoma Standard” for community partnerships and redevelopment. This new standard is based on his ability to bring together for common goals the governmental, business, and residential communities throughout the greater metropolitan area. As one support letter noted:

CMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202007

James Hamill

James Hamill

James Gail Hamill is an Oklahoma City native who served 34 years in the Municipal Counselor’s office, beginning in 1960. He retired in 1995, serving as Municipal Counselor from 1989 until then. He graduated from Oklahoma A&M College, now Oklahoma State University served in combat with the Marine Corps in Korea, completed law school at the University of Oklahoma, and was in private practice before going to work for Oklahoma City. He continued his military career in the Marine Corps Reserve until 1989 when he retired from the Corps with the rank of Colonel.

HMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202009

Jackie Shane Woolbright

Jackie Shane Woolbright

It could be said that Shane Woolbright stopped in Oklahoma for 30 years on his way from Arkansas to New Mexico. And Oklahoma cities and towns have been the beneficiaries of that sojourn. Shane was born in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Since retiring earlier this year, he has moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He received his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Arkansas in 1978, while working for the City of Jenks. In addition to the numerous municipal government accomplishments, Shane has also served as Chair of the Audubon Society of Central Oklahoma, president of his neighborhood association, and as a member of numerous environmental groups.

WMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202013

Homer Lee Nicholson

Homer Lee Nicholson

As the longest-serving Mayor of Ponca City, he is involved in many roles at the state and national levels that affect local governments in Oklahoma and across the country. Among these is his service on the Oklahoma Homeland Security Advisory Council and the Oklahoma Pipeline Safety Task Force; and previously on the Governor’s Task Force on Collection, Distribution & Enforcement of Municipal Sales Tax and the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Economic Development.

P, NMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202016

Harold Pumford

Harold Pumford

For awards and recognitions, Mr. Pumford was presented with the Employee Relations Achievement Award of 1985 by the Oklahoma Public Personnel Association. In 1969 he was one of the candidates for Three Outstanding Young Oklahomans and, in 1992, the Pooling Section of Public Risk Management Association presented him with their Meritorious Achievement Award. And, he received the Distinguished Service Award of 1969 from the Jaycees of Ponca City and in 1978 from the Jaycees of Union City, Tennessee, and he was a delegate for the 1962 United Nations Pilgrimage.

PMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202005

Glendene Goucher

Glendene Goucher

As a young mother of two children with a husband who was temporarily disabled, Glendene Goucher initially intended to work only one year when on May 1, 1963, she became secretary to Hal Everett, the first city manager of the City of Clinton. She retired 35 years later, on April 30, 1998. In that time she opened the way for city clerks in Oklahoma to receive in-state training for professional certification.

GMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202006

Gerald Davis Wilkins

Gerald Davis Wilkins

Gerald passed away in 1988, long before this hall of fame was organized. He is the 6th person to be inducted posthumously. The following is an example of how Gerald Wilkins’ induction in the Hall of Fame epitomizes the values, principles, and integrity that this honor embodies and why the Gerald Wilkins Award, the sole professional achievement award presented by the City Management Association of Oklahoma, is so significant in Oklahoma city management.

WMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202013

George F. Wilkinson

George F. Wilkinson

George F. Wilkinson is among that rare group of public officials who serve first as an elected official before becoming an appointed official in their community. Little did he or the community realize in the 1963 city commission election that his public service career would extend for more than 40 years. And, it is still continuing.

WMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202004

George Fina

George Fina

George Fina’s municipal career began in 1962 with the Oklahoma City Fire Department and lasted for twenty-two years during which he earned the rank of Captain. George was also a racing professional. In 1969 he won the NHRA World Championship for dragster racing and was recognized as one of Oklahoma’s Sportsman of the Month in 1969. As a city councilman and later mayor for Piedmont, he is recognized as the longest-serving councilman in Piedmont’s history after serving in some capacity for more than twenty-one years. After his retirement, the city council renamed City Hall after him.

FMatthew BurlesonMay 7, 20202018