Seven selected for hall of fame

 Seven people have been selected for induction into the 81st class of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. They will join 621 people who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1928. “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor Oklahomans can receive for their contributions to and representation of the state,” said Shannon L. Nance, president of the Oklahoma Heritage Association and the Gaylord-Pickens Museum in Oklahoma City. The 2008 nominees are: Bill W. Burgess Jr., Lawton; Shawnee native Robert H. Henry, Oklahoma City; Donna Nigh, Oklahoma City; Ronald J. Norick, Oklahoma City; Carl R. Renfro, Ponca City; Charles C. Stephenson, Tulsa; and Jordan J.N. Tang of Oklahoma City. Bill W. Burgess Jr. Burgess is chairman of the board of Vortex, the senior partner of Burgess & Hightower Law Firm and chairman emeritus of Techrizon, which he has developed into the largest Oklahomaowned software engineering company. Burgess was appointed to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in the spring of 1993 as one of the youngest regents in state history. He serves as chairman of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, previously served as chairman of the Citizen’s Commission on the future of Oklahoma’s higher education and is a past chairman of the Oklahoma Business Roundtable Inc. He was awarded the Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s Oklahoma Stars for the “I Believe in Oklahoma” campaign. Burgess is a former president of the Boy Scouts of America Last Frontier Council and has attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Robert H. Henry Henry has served in each branch of government. Elected to the Oklahoma Legislature at 23, he was chairman of the judiciary and education committees and the Majority Caucus. He was elected attorney general in 1986 and was re-elected in 1990, becoming the state’s first attorney general to run unopposed. From 1991 to 1994, Henry was dean and professor of law at the Oklahoma City University School of Law. In 1994, President Clinton appointed him to the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. He became the circuit’s chief judge in January. Henry serves on the advisory board for judicial outreach of the American Society of International Law, a position for which former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor selected him. He also sits on the board of the Vera Institute of Justice in New York City and is chair of the Middle East-North Africa Council for the American Bar Association. Donna Nigh Nigh, a former first lady of Oklahoma who is married to former Gov. George Nigh, was noted for political involvement in her husband’s career but is also acclaimed for her commitment to Oklahomans with special needs and developmental disabilities. She championed the establishment of group homes the developmentally disabled, inspiring the creation of more than 100 such homes in Oklahoma. Friends created the Donna Nigh Foundation, the first statewide foundation for the developmentally disabled. In 1997, President Clinton appointed Nigh to the President’s Committee of Mental Retardation. Nigh was the driving force in major legislation impacting infant car seat requirements, preschool children’s immunization programs, zoning law changes allowing group homes in neighborhoods and helping to increase the number of sheltered workshops. The Oklahoma legislature has honored her and the Department of Human Services awarded her the Outstanding Volunteer Award. In 1999, legislation established the George and Donna Nigh Public Service scholarship program, which honors an outstanding public service student at every Oklahoma college and university. The Nigh family includes their late son, Mike Mashburn, daughter Georgeann Duty and seven grandchildren. Ronald J. Norick Norick was born in Oklahoma City and graduated Oklahoma City University with a bachelor’s degree in management. Norick was mayor of Oklahoma City from 1987 to 1998. Often referred to as the ‘Father of MAPS’ and credited with Oklahoma City’s renaissance, Norick’s leadership inspired the passage of the Metropolitan Area Projects temporary 1-cent sales tax in 1993. Norick is controlling manager of Norick Investment Co. LLC. He was employed by Norick Brothers Inc. for more than 30 years, serving as president from 1981 to 1992. He is chairman of the board for Sport Haley Inc. and serves on the board of directors of BancFirst Merlon International Inc. He is vice chairman and on the executive committee for the State Fair of Oklahoma, chairman of the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, and vice chairman of the Oklahoma Industries Authority. Carl R. Renfro Renfro graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1960 and joined Pioneer Bank & Trust in 1968. He became chairman and chief executive officer in 1979. He retired in 2007 from Pioneer Bank & Trust and continues as chairman of the board. Renfro was a regent for 12 years for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and was its chairman in 2004. He was instrumental in establishing the University Center at Ponca City. In 1993, Renfro cofounded Standing Bear Native American Foundation. The project encompasses a 170-acre park with a 22-foot-tall bronze statue of Chief Standing Bear, eight tribal courts, a permanent powwow arena and a museum and education center. Renfro is a community supporter, serving on numerous boards and committees. The Renfros have made contributions to establish endowment funds for operations of the Standing Bear Foundation, student scholarships through the University Center Foundation, and restoration of Marland Mansion through its foundation, among other projects. Renfro and his wife, Carolyn, have three children and five grandchildren. Charles C. Stephenson After graduating from Antlers High School, Stephenson attended the University of Oklahoma where he earned a degree in petroleum engineering. Following service as an Army officer, he joined Amerada Petroleum Corp. Between 1973 and 1982, Stephenson was part-owner and president of privately held Andover Oil Co. After the sale of Andover, Stephenson co-founded Vintage Petroleum Inc. where he served as president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board. The company grew from three employees to more than 750 with operations in four countries and reserves of approximately 500 million barrels. Stephenson is cofounder and chairman of the board of Premier Natural Resources, an independent oil and gas company and partner of Regent Private Capital. He is co-founder and director of Growth Capital Partners, president of Stephenson Investments Inc. and serves as a board member of AAON Inc. Stephenson was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2000. He and his wife, Peggy, received the 2002 Tulsa Humanitarian Award. Jordan J.N. Tang Tang holds the J.G. Puterbaugh Chair in Medical Research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, where he heads the protein studies research program. Tang moved from Taiwan in 1955 to attend Oklahoma State University, where he earned a master’s degree. He received a doctoral degree from the University of Oklahoma and finished postdoctoral work at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. In 1957, Tang joined OMRF and has become one of the world’s leading experts on proteases, a group of proteins crucial to human health. During his 51 years at OMRF, Tang’s work has led to a deeper understanding of the proteins and to new treatments for HIV/AIDS, hypertension and, most recently, human clinical trials for a drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Tang has lectured and taught at 50 universities on five continents and has published more than 200 scientific journal articles. His research has been recognized and honored by numerous scientific and human aid groups. He is the only Oklahoman who has received the Alzheimer’s Association of America’s highest research prize, the $1 million Pioneer Award.