Hennessey High School grad and late State Sen. Butch Choate, and former elementary school principal Eileen Roe were officially accepted into the HHS 2020 Hall of Fame during graduation ceremonies May 26.

Due to the pandemic, Choate’s family and Roe did not attend the ceremony held in the new Eagle Event Center. However, that facility allowed for the event to be live-streamed to those families.

Choate’s wife, Jan, and son Judson and family, live in Scottsdale, Ariz. and Roe and her husband, Mundy, live in Edmond.

The 2020 graduation was the first event held in the center which is often referred to as The Dome due the structure’s shape.

Hall of Fame honorees are chosen by graduating seniors from nominations made by the community on graduates and educators “who have gone above and beyond to inspire and touch the lives of those around them.”

Ralph J. “Butch” Choate

Born Ralph Judson Choate in May, 1947, he was best known as Butch, a nickname apparently given him by his older brother, Jack Choate Jr.

“I don’t know how old I was before I ever knew his name was Ralph,” said Butch’s nephew, Jack Choate III, who nominated him for the Hall of Fame. “Jan (his wife) was the only one who called him Ralph.”

He graduated from HHS in 1965, and attended OU before he was drafted into the U.S. Marines in 1966. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California for basic training, then spent 13 months in Vietnam.

When he returned to the U.S., he married Jan Yack in Newport Beach, Calif. in 1969. They lived in California for a year while he completed his military service, then moved to his hometown of Hennessey. He graduated from Phillips University in 1973.

Since his sudden death at 63 from a heart attack in 2010, he continues to be the only Hennessey native who represented his community in the State Senate. He served in the Senate and House, but actually cut his teeth in politics when, at 26, he was elected to the Hennessey Board of Trustees and served from 1973-79.

Choate was a die-hard Republican who easily shared his opinions with others whether they asked for them, or not.

He was on the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission for six years, and the Pioneer Telephone board for 17 years.

He owned and managed Choate Ford for 14 years while he worked with his father, Jack H. Choate, in the oil and gas business. In 1995, he purchased the former Hennessey Golf and Country Club and operated it as the Turkey Creek Golf Course until his death.

Choate was a member of the First Christian Church, Lions Club and was a 32nd Degree Mason.

At the time of his death he worked with ODOT officials to get shoulders added onto SH 51 east and west of Hennessey. Some community leaders continue to seek help from legislators with that project.

“During his political career, he was always firm in his political views but was without fear of debate,” the graduates were told Tuesday night. “He was a unique individual who could tell a grand story and easily entertain a single person, or an audience of any size. He was charming, engaging and well-loved by his friends and family.

“He was an outstanding and charitable individual who was always seeking to serve and improve his community.

“He left a lasting impression to those around him and we, as a community, are better for his contributions.”

In May 2012 the state legislature named the north and south entrances into Hennessey on US 81 as Sen. Ralph. J. Choate Memorial Highway. The signs were erected in September 2012.

Eileen Roe

Eileen Roe began her 22 years as a teacher/counselor and principal in 1990 at Hennessey, and retired from there in 2012.

“She is the epitome of what an educator/administrator should be,” wrote Matt Means, who nominated her for the 2020 honor.

“Eileen has worked her way up through the ranks. She started as a special education teacher, a job that most people wouldn’t have the patience, or compassion, to do,” said Means who is now the assistant middle school counselor.

She taught high school special education classes in Hennessey for eight years, was a middle school counselor for 10 years, and an elementary school principal for four years.

Roe was the elementary school principal when 2020 seniors were students there and one remembered “her friendly hello that made me feel welcomed. Our class was truly influenced by her kindness, and we hope to make it a goal to be the best that we can be by following her example.

“Mrs. Roe cared deeply about all of her students and treated them as if they were her own. She believes she created an impact in all of their lives by encouraging them to follow their dreams, never give up, always be kind, and show respect for others. She had great dedication and passion for what she did and it showed.”

She earned her bachelor’s of education in special education from OSU in 1981 and her master’s degree in counseling from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in 1997.

Hennessey was her second teaching job, she started her career in teaching preschool multi-handicapped students in Cushing, and taught there for two years.

“She holds herself to standards that most people couldn’t achieve,” wrote Means. “If she is given a directive it is not only done, but it is done right. If she says she is going to do something, you can count on it getting done.

“If her staff has a need she will find a way to make it happen whether she needs to call our school administration, our PTO, or someone in our community. She puts the needs of her students and her staff before her own.

“She makes an effort to know every single student personally , and it is not unusually to hear her asking a student about a family member, a pet, or other event that has occurred in that child’s life.”

He also said she implemented “Fantastic Fridays” with an assembly to “ac knowledge all the good things that are happening in our building” which included Students of the Week, Students of the Month and awards for Good Character.

“Her purpose at the high school was to increase her student’s academic skills while preparing them for their future,” said one of her students. “She sought to motivate her students to believe in themselves and their capabilities as young adults. Her goals in the middle school as a counselor were to stop bullying, introduce career programs, and promote Red Ribbon Week, all while assisting students in dealing with the ups and downs of life.”

The Roes raised two children, Kyle and the late Kacie Roe, who both graduated from HHS.