**For Immediate Release**
Ceremony Planned to Dedicate the Jack V. Begley Memorial
Highway
-released by OPSU Campus Communications 01-13-2006
Goodwell - Oklahoma Panhandle State University will host
a ceremony and reception to dedicate the Jack V. Begley
Memorial Highway on Monday, January 23, 2006 in the Noble
Activity and Cultural Center at 3:00 p.m. Oklahoma lawmakers
recently passed legislation for the memorial. Begley served
in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives for District
61 for 14 years and was instrumental in procuring the funds
to expand the portion of Highway 54 that spans the Oklahoma
Panhandle from the Texas state line through Optima, OK.
He passed away in April of 2004, but he will always be
remembered as a friend to citizens of the Panhandle.
Begley, a native Oklahoman from Kellyville,
has a long history of service in the Oklahoma Panhandle
area. After a stint in the United States Army, he graduated
from Panhandle A&M College where he earned All-Conference honors in
the men’s basketball program. Following graduation,
he coached girls and boys basketball as well as baseball
in nearby Texhoma, where he met and married Christene Jones.
Son Rafe was born in 1961.
The Begley family moved to Clinton
where Jack continued his coaching career and finished
his master’s degree
at Oklahoma State University. During his tenure in Clinton,
his basketball teams won two state titles plus a state
runner-up title, and he was honored as the Tulsa Daily
World’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Son Eric was
born while they resided in Clinton.
Jack accepted a coaching position at Caprock High School
in Amarillo, and then returned to his alma mater. He served
in a number of capacities at OPSU over the next 20 years
including coach, athletic director, registrar and director
of admissions. When he was elected to the House of Representatives,
he remained devoted to OPSU and helped secure state funds
to finish the Noble Cultural and Activity Center on campus.
He served as chairman of the appropriations committee for
education. Following his retirement, he continued to serve
Oklahoma when Governor Brad Henry appointed him as Commissioner
of the Transportation Department.
OPSU is proud to host the dedication
ceremony and invites everyone to honor Jack Begley’s
memory by attending the short dedication and the reception
with refreshments following.
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