NSU announces new Foundation Board members

Northeastern State University recently announced the addition of three new members to the Foundation Board of Trustees.

Now supporting the Foundation in its fund-raising efforts are Larry Adair, Dr. Matt Walker and Eddie Miller.

Adair serves as president of Arvest Bank in Stilwell. He was Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, 2001-04, and served for 22 years in the House. He served in every House committee and chaired the Transportation, Education, Veterans and Military Affairs committees. In 2004, he established the Larry Adair Lectureship Series in Government and Public Policy at NSU. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2005.

Adair graduated from NSU in 1969 with Bachelor's degrees in Language Arts and Business Administration. He served two years in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Vietnam. In 1979, he earned a Master's Degree in Secondary Education from NSU.

Walker is a Tahlequah dentist whose roots run deep at NSU. He is a 1996 graduate and earned his DDS from the University of Oklahoma in 2001. He and his brothers, Andrew and John, also NSU alumni, were the first group of three siblings to graduate from OU's School of Dentistry. His grandfather, Dr. C.L. Lombardi, was the 50th faculty member hired at NSU, teaching industrial arts for nearly 40 years. His grandmother, Dr. Betty Lombardi, was a long-time NSU English instructor. His father, Dr. James Walker, served as chair of the NSU English department and taught at NSU from 1968 until his death in 1999.

"Ever since I've returned to Tahlequah I've wanted to help Northeastern," Walker said. "I have strong feelings for the school. We lived one block away and I basically grew up on the campus. NSU has been a part of my life and I appreciate this opportunity to give all the assistance I can."

Miller is CEO of Bios Companies, Inc., which he co-founded in 1990. The corporation offers support for the endeavors of people with developmental disabilities and their families. The company has become one of largest providers of community-based services with more than 900 employees in Oklahoma and Tennessee. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from NSU in 1989. To honor the memory and work of a mentor, NSU Special Education professor Dr. Bill Ward, Miller established and endowed the Bill Ward Scholarship. He is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association. NSU named him Outstanding Young Alumnus in 2008.

The Northeastern State University Foundation was established July 27, 1971 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization created exclusively to benefit NSU. The purpose of the NSU Foundation is to acquire and distribute support for the university for charitable, benevolent, educational, scientific and literary purposes.

10/26/2009

Published: 2009-10-26 00:00:00