Raymond D. Gary

Raymond Daniel Gary was the first Governor to be born in Oklahoma since statehood. His birth date was January 21, 1908, and his birthplace, a farm midway between Madill, Oklahoma and Kingston, Oklahoma. He was educated in the local schools and Southeastern State College. After five years of teaching he was elected County Superintendent of Schools and served for four years. In 1936, he began his business career, first in school and office supplies, later as President of the Sooner Oil Company. He was a State Senator from 1941 until he became Governor January 10, 1955, for a four-year-term. He died December 11, 1993, and is buried in Madill. ^[1]

State Highway Contributions

U.S. Route 66 through Clinton, Oklahoma is locally designated as Gary Freeway or Gary Boulevard in honor of the former governor in commemoration of Gary's promises and efforts to push for improvements of US-66 into a four-lane highway through Western Oklahoma during his administration. Those efforts ultimately led to US-66 being transformed into Interstate 40, which bypasses Clinton's south side. Gary Boulevard is also designated as Clinton's I-40 Business Loop.

Gary also led and supported efforts to improve the state highway system in all areas of Oklahoma during his tenure as governor, particularly the major highways that criscrossed the state and expressway routes through the two largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. It was during Gary's tenure that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation oversaw efforts to survey and approve the routes of the Interstate Highway System through the state including east-west Interstate 40 and north-south Interstate 35.

Civil Rights Leadership

One of his first actions was to order the "whites only" and "colored only" signs removed from the Capitol's restrooms. He also declared his intent to make the state comply with the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in the public schools unconstitutional. In a statewide radio address, he said: "I feel sure that defiance of the Supreme Court mandate will not be tolerated. School boards which might entertain such ideas will find themselves on their own. Certainly the State of Oklahoma cannot possibly defend such action." As part of his effort, he won passage of an amendment to the state Constitution that discarded the financing of separate schools for whites and blacks. He reportedly said, "You know, this is the right thing to do. We're all God’s children, and that's what we're going to do.” ^[2] Speaking of Gov. Gary in the days following his death, Republican Gov. Henry Bellmon commented, "He led the state through the initial integration era and successfully integrated our schools without any of the violence and complications that erupted in many of the Southern states." ^[3]

Education

Bachelor of Science, Southeastern Oklahoma State University

References

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Gary, Raymond