Kurt Thomas said there was no one more deserving to have a building named in their honor.

Debbie Biehler actually had someone else in mind.

And, as Biehler put it: “I didn’t win.”

Several local leaders joined students, staff and board members Tuesday morning at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Debbie Biehler Annex at Chisholm Trail Technology Center.

“Nobody’s more deserving to have their name on the building than you,” Thomas said to Biehler. “And you’ll have a lasting legacy on this campus.”

As Thomas pointed out, Biehler’s legacy was cemented at CTTC long before the concrete on the new annex was poured.

Biehler has - literally been with CTTC from the start.

She was a board member before there was even a technology center in place - or a vocational technical school, as it was called at the time.

“We had no money, no place to meet, no staff, no name,” Biehler told the crowd. “And we borrowed facilities from our sending schools probably for the first year.”

Biehler talked about the transformation of “Oklahoma Vocational Technical District 26” to the CTTC we know today.

From renting facilities and offering short-term adult programs to buying the land and constructing the building that’s the main facility on the campus in western Kingfisher County to adding new schools and new programs and…new buildings.

Biehler has been there for all of it.

“This is her 38th year on the board and very few schools can say they have a charter board member who was here from the day this facility opened to 38 years later. She’s still serving as consistently as she was in year one,” Thomas said.

“You probably can count on less than two hands the amount of board meetings she’s missed over those 38 years. She makes some graduations. She makes school events. She just does not miss.”

The new annex, which opened in August, houses CTTC’s newest program, electrical trades, on its south end.

The north end allowed for an ever-growing and expanded welding program.

Moving welding into the new facility allowed for construction trades to upgrade to the old welding building.

“We’ve got one new program and we’ve got an expansion of two other programs on our campus,” Thomas said.

That, Thomas said, is a tremendous benefit to students.

“The best thing about building this facility is we’re able to serve more students and that’s what it’s about,” Thomas said. “It’s how can we help the students in our district.”

With that in mind, Thomas said Biehler’s name going on the building was only fitting.

“One thing I notice about her on the board is everything is about how we can best serve our students,” Thomas said. “And so when we added this new building, I thought and the board thought it was the most fitting that her name goes on it because of this building represents what’s best for students and how we can best serve them.”

Service, said Thomas, is what Biehler exemplifies, whether its her family, friends, church or CTTC.

“That’s just a constant theme in her life,” he said.

When the idea was presented to Biehler, she balked.

“I lobbied hard for the Max Thomas Annex,” said Biehler, referring to the previous CTTC superintendent who was among those at the ceremony.

“I told them I wasn’t sure about having my name in big letters on the front of the building and it kind of felt like praying on the street corner so everybody would see you and give you praise for how faithful you are,” she said.

“When you do something for your own benefit, that’s all the benefit you’ll get. And I’ve never done any of my service to get accolades for myself.”

Eventually, said Biehler, she relented.

“After a little bit of time and a lot of prayer, I’ve accepted that I didn’t ask for this,” she said. “It was given to me as an honor for the service I’ve given to this building and I appreciate that so very much.”

She said she accepted the honor, not just for herself, but on behalf of “my fellow board members, past and present, our administration, teachers, staff, past and present, and the several thousand students that we have served in that 38 years.”

After reflecting on the transformation of CTTC over the past four decades, Biehler encouraged others to follow in her footsteps.

“I encourage everybody to do something of service to others,” she said. “Yes, once in a while, you get your name put in big letters on the front of the building. But more than that, you’re blessed by helping other people and that’s what it’s all about.

“We’re here to serve, not to be served. And if we all live up to that, if we all do something to help other people, this world will be a much better place.”