Weatherford, OK – Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) has announced the receipt of a major charitable gift from Ms. Marilyn Allred of Oklahoma City.
This generous philanthropic contribution will be used to establish an endowment that will provide financial support in perpetuity to SWOSU students studying in the SWOSU Department of Education.
Allred created the fund to honor her late parents, Claude R. Riley and Pauline “Dink” Riley, and her late brother, Carl C. Riley.
“We are deeply grateful to Marilyn Allred for her thoughtful investment in the SWOSU Department of Education,” said SWOSU President Dr. Diana R. Lovell. “It is our great privilege to steward Ms. Allred’s beneficence in a way that helps meet Oklahoma’s teacher training needs while also honoring the memories of two of our graduates, the late Claude Riley and his wife, Pauline Riley, as well as their late son, Carl C. Riley.”
The late Claude r. Riley was born 8-March-1906 near Alfalfa, Oklahoma, and graduated from Carnegie High School. A 1943 SWOSU alumnus, Claude earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma. He taught in schools throughout Oklahoma including Banner, Bald Knob, Binger, Eakly, Victory, and Friendship. He died on 17-November-1962.
Claude married Pauline Lovell of Cloud Chief, Oklahoma, on 4-May-1982. Pauline, who was called “Dink,” was born near Cloud Chief on 12-July-1909 and graduated from Cloud Chief High School. A 1940 SWOSU alumnae, Dink taught and coached at Bessie, Alfalfa, Binger, Eakly, Victory, Friendship, and Moore. Dink died on 28-March-1996.
Allred’s late brother, Carl C. Riley, was born 9-March-1939 to Claude and Dink at Carnegie. He died 27-July-1969 near Jacksboro, Texas.
Allred’s generous gift and the endowment it has established are stewarded by the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. An independent institutionally-related charitable entity headquartered on the SWOSU Campus in the historic Burton House, the Foundation was established in 1977 to promote philanthropy, award scholarships and distribute funds to support the activities and programs of SWOSU. For more information, please contact the SWOSU Office of Institutional Advancement at 580-774-3267 or visit www.SWOSUFoundation.com.
