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View Article - Digital Collections - University of Oklahoma

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1 6HIS LOYALTY AND UNSELFISH SERVICE TO SOONERSCHARACTERIZES CAREER OF ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTRAYMOND A. TOLBERT,'12 arts-sc ., '13 law,president <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong><strong>of</strong> <strong>Oklahoma</strong>Association, is a prominent<strong>Oklahoma</strong> attorneyresiding in <strong>Oklahoma</strong>City . He wasborn at Vernon, Texas,March 17, 1890, attendinggrade schoolwith several futureSooners like Peyton E.Brown, ex '13, <strong>of</strong>Blackwell, Shelley Tracy,'12 arts-sc ., <strong>of</strong> Dallas,and others .President T o 1 b e r twas a member <strong>of</strong> SigmaDelta Chi, Phi DeltaPhi, Sigma AlphaEpsilon fraternities, <strong>of</strong>the Sooner bar and theSenate society . He waslaw librarian . Heplayed on the lawschool class championshipfootball team andwas secretary <strong>of</strong> thestudent committee <strong>of</strong>six that procured theappropriation for thelaw school buildingfrom the state legislature.Mr Tolbert has alwaysbeen in the forefront<strong>of</strong> alumni activities. Several times hewas a member <strong>of</strong> theassociation executiveboard and was president<strong>of</strong> the <strong>Oklahoma</strong>City branch <strong>of</strong> the associationwhen he calledthe state wide meeting<strong>of</strong> graduates andformer students in1923 to oppose the efforts<strong>of</strong> the then GovernorWalton to removePresident StrattonD. Brooks . HeTOLBERTproposed at this meetingthat the <strong>University</strong>Alumni association be reorganized as the<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Association,membership to be open to former studentsas well as graduates .This proposal, which marked the beginning<strong>of</strong> the present association, wasadopted .With Paul A. Walker, '13 law (seeSooner Persons & Personalities in this issue)Mr Tolbert formed a committee <strong>of</strong>law school graduates that volunteered itsservices and successfully represented theboard <strong>of</strong> regents in the supreme court inthe case <strong>of</strong> Peebly versus Childers, a victorywhich restored $420,000 to the universitysalary appropriations which hadbeen eliminated by Governor Walton .Mr Tolbert's services to the stadiumunionorganization have been invaluableand most unselfish . He is a member <strong>of</strong> thestadium union board <strong>of</strong> the stadium unionbuilding committee; and <strong>of</strong> the board <strong>of</strong>governors <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Oklahoma</strong>Union . As legalcounsel he incorporatedthase two organizationsand handled allthe legal proceedingsfor them relating tothe $400,000 bond issuewithout compensation. For his many distinguishedservices tothe university, Mr Tolbertwas awarded thecoveted Sigma DeltaChi scroll <strong>of</strong> honor in1928 .From 1913 to 1919he engaged in the practice<strong>of</strong> law at Hobart,service at city attorney,and as president <strong>of</strong> thelibrary board. He assistedi n establishingseveral Carnegie librariesin western <strong>Oklahoma</strong>. Rejected for thefirst <strong>of</strong>ficers' trainingcamp and in the firstdraft on account <strong>of</strong> minorphysical disabilities,Mr Tolbertplunged into war servicewhole heartedly,service as city attorney,man <strong>of</strong> the Red Cross,the food and the Y. M.C. A. drives . He servedin the Y. M. C. A. inthe A. E. F . from December15, 1917, toMarch 30, 1918, andthen entered the airservice, April 1, 1918,serving until January26, 1919, being dischargedFebruary 14,1919 . He now holdsthe commission <strong>of</strong> captainin the air servicereserve corps .PHOTO On his return fromthe war, Mr. Tolbertbecame assistantatorney f o r <strong>Oklahoma</strong>for the C. R. I . & P. railway withheadquarters at El Reno . From 1922 hehas been a member <strong>of</strong> the law firm <strong>of</strong>Embry, Johnson & Tolbert, one <strong>of</strong> theoldest legal firms in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City, with<strong>of</strong>fices in the Perrine buildingWATTON STUDIOTHE SOONER MAGAZINEMr Tolbert was married on March 1,1920, to Miss Irma Roop <strong>of</strong> Stillwater, agraduate <strong>of</strong> <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Agricultural & Mechanicalcollege, class <strong>of</strong> '17 . Mrs Tolbertis a member <strong>of</strong> Kappa Alpha Theta

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