NSU Honors Outstanding Alumni During Homecoming

TAHLEQUAH - Every year the Northeastern State University Alumni Association honors a select group of alumni during Homecoming week festivities.

Being honored this year are Phillip Driskill, Wagoner, Distinguished Alumnus; Robert Roady, Distinguished Alumnus, Houston, Texas; Todd Allen Rolland, Broken Arrow, Outstanding Young Alumnus; and Drs. Tim and Isabel Baker, Tahlequah, President's Award for Community Service. A 1976 Northeastern graduate, Phillip Driskill's name is synonymous with dedication to fighting for veteran's rights and treating veterans with the dignity they deserve. Driskill served in the U.S. Army from 1966-69, then worked as an itinerant field representative assisting veterans with applications for benefits.

In his more than three decades of service at the state and national level, Driskill has earned achievement awards from virtually every organization and touched the lives of countless veterans. He is the executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs and serves as secretary of the Armed Forces Veterans Homes Foundation. Driskill is a Life Member of the NSU Alumni Association.

After attending Northeastern from 1946-48, Robert Roady graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1950 with a bachelor of science in Geological Engineering. Roady retired from the oil industry in 1985, where as a geological-engineer he worked for several oil companies in both Oklahoma and Texas.

Roady served in the U.S. Navy before marrying his wife, Norma, in 1953. Roady has been involved in the Oklahoma City and Houston Geological Societies, as well as Boy Scouts, the Houston Petroleum Club, and the VFW. Roady is a Life Member of the NSU Alumni Association.

Todd Rolland, the president of Summit Financial Group in Tulsa, is an innovator and leader, leading the employee benefits and wealth management firm to become one of the top producing agencies in the state.

Growing up in Tahlequah, Rolland has a long affiliation with Northeastern. Prior to his graduation from NSU in 1987, he grew up visiting his father on campus, Dr. John Rolland, an education professor. A member of the Young President's Organization, an international association of youthful leaders, he strives to create a better world through education and idea exchange. During his free time, he also coaches youth sports teams, helping kids excel as members of a team. Rolland is a Life Member of the NSU Alumni Association.

A family that understands the value of quality education, Drs. Tim and Isabel Baker worked for decades to prepare generations of Tahlequah and Oklahoma students for life. Prior to his death in May 2005, Tim had served as teacher, coach, administrator and superintendent of schools. Isabel, a 1950 graduate of Northeastern, was named "Professor Emeritus of Education" in 1994 upon her retirement from NSU, where she taught for over a dozen years.

The Bakers continually worked for the betterment of the community, serving on a number of boards for community, church, civic and social organizations. Isabel was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1998, and was named Oklahoma Mother of the Year in 1978.

Northeastern's outstanding alumni will be honored during halftime of the Homecoming game and at the post-game "Come Home To The Dome" event.

The annual Emerald Ball, where honorees will also be recognized, has moved to Saturday, Dec. 2. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the NSU Alumni Association at 918-458-2143.