STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - The life of Oklahoma State University alumnus and benefactor T. Boone Pickens has been celebrated on the campus where the late energy industry billionaire donated hundreds of millions of dollars to support academic and athletic programs.
Pickens, who died in Dallas on Sept. 11 at age 91, was lauded at a memorial service Wednesday for his legacy of philanthropy and inspiration that OSU President Burns Hargis says encouraged other donors to transform the university.
During his lifetime, Pickens donated $652 million to OSU, including a $165 million gift in 2005 that at the time was the largest athletic gift in NCAA history. Since then, the university has raised $2 billion in cash and pledges.
Pickens was a 1951 graduate of OSU’s School of Geology, now known as the Boone Pickens School of Geology.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.