McALESTER, Oklahoma -
Former
Oklahoma State Senator Gene Stipe died peacefully Saturday evening following a
long illness. His wife, Mary, daughter, Beth, and other family members were by
his side at the family home in McAlester. He was 85.
Known
as the "Dean of the Senate," Stipe will forever hold the distinction of the
longest service in the Oklahoma Legislature at 53 years. His tenure for more
than half of the time Oklahoma has been a state is legendary.
In
1948, at the age of 21, he was elected to the House of Representatives and
served through 1954. In 1956, Stipe was elected to the State Senate, where he
served until 2003. For many of those years, he served as chairman of the Senate
Roads and Highways Committee, later known as the Transportation Committee,
where he oversaw expansion and improvement of the state's highway system.
A
life-long Democrat, Stipe will best be remembered for his impassioned and
undying support for Oklahoma's poor and working men and women. Throughout his service, those in need would gather to meet
the senator at his McAlester office on Saturday mornings. He would pay the
bills of the penniless, find jobs for the jobless, and advocate for the
downtrodden.
His vast influence turned McAlester into a hub of political and
economic activity. Through his support of his entire Senate district, Stipe
brought home millions of dollars of funding for roads and highways that
resulted in economic development and thousands of jobs.
The people of the district responded by electing him 17 times.
Former Governor George Nigh, also a native of Pittsburg County,
remembered Stipe.
"In 1948, a coal miner's son, while living in the Norman fire
station and attending law school at the University of Oklahoma, was elected as
the youngest member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He went on to
become the longest serving state legislator in US History," Nigh recalled. "He
truly believed in public service. He always encouraged me to also be involved. Thanks,
Gene."
Former Oklahoma State Senate
President Pro Tempore Robert V. Cullison said, "Gene was my mentor, my
friend and someone I deeply admired and respected. I always valued his
wisdom and his deep love for the State Senate. I will miss him."
Senior Federal Judge Lee R. West of the Western District of
Oklahoma honored Stipe's public service.
"I am
deeply saddened to hear of Gene Stipe's passing. He was an Oklahoma
original. In his more than half century of public service, he helped
ensure that each generation of Oklahomans was healthier, better educated, and
more secure than the generation that preceded it. It is unlikely that anyone
will ever exceed his contributions," West said.
In
addition to his service to the people, Stipe was a renowned defense attorney
and entrepreneur. He owned radio stations, newspapers, convenience stores and
multiple oil and gas holdings.
Stipe
was born on October 21, 1926 in Blanco, in Pittsburg County, where his father
was a miner and farm worker.
Stipe
served in the United States Navy in World War II and was commissioned as an
ensign. He was honorably discharged at the end of his military service.
Funeral
services, under the direction of Brumley-Mills Funeral Home, will be held at
the First Baptist Church of McAlester at a date and time to be announced later.
Gene Stipe
