NOC to honor distinguished alums April 1
Northern Oklahoma College alumni Dr. Jim Appleman, Jeff Medders, and Willie Street MPAS, PA-C will be inducted into the NOC Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame April 1.
Appleman, Class of 1975, Medders, Class of 1981, and Street, Class of 1982 will be honored in ceremonies taking place during the NOC Alumni and Friends Reunion Dinner in the Renfro Center at NOC Tonkawa at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 1.
The public is invited to the event and all NOC Alumni and Friends of the college are encouraged to attend, according to Kayla Wooderson, director of alumni and community relations. The deadline for reservations is March 13. Reservations are required; the $20 payment for the dinner event may be paid in advance or at the April 1 event.
Also, the Class of 1973 will be honored at the event.
For reservations or for more information, contact Wooderson at 580-628-6473 or e-mail kayla.wooderson@noc.edu. To make reservations online, visit www.noc.edu/alumni and then click on “Alumni and Friends Reunion Form.”
Dr. Jim Appleman
Dr. Jim Appleman grew up in Tonkawa, where both his parents were members of NOC’s faculty and administration. His first three years at Washington Elementary School coincided with his parents serving as dorm parents for Easterling Hall.
Following graduation from Tonkawa High School he naturally attended Northern Oklahoma College. After one year in which he took full advantage of NOC’s rich campus life experience, he graduated with an Associate of Science degree in Mathematics. He subsequently received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Biochemistry from Oklahoma State University followed by post-doctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Gustav Lienhard at Dartmouth Medical School.
Appleman is the Senior Vice-President, Research and Development, and Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder of Primmune Therapeutics in San Diego, California.
Jeff Medders
Since 1991, Jeff Medders has been the television host for PRCA ProRodeo and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has offered his talents to “America’s Horse,” a magazine show on the American Quarter Horse for 15 years and has been the host and producer of the “Cinch High School Rodeo Tour” for the past decade.
While immersing himself within the cowboy industry, Medders founded and is the President and CEO of Geronimo Productions.
In March 2020, due to his 30-year television experience he became The Cowboy Channel President. He has played a major role in bringing success and fast-paced growth to the first and only television network dedicated to western sports and way of life.
Medders graduated from Northern Oklahoma College with an Associates of Arts in Broadcasting in May of 1983 and Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Radio, Television, Film in May of 1985. Medders was named an OSU College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumnus in 2014.
He was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2016, and last November he was inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
Willie Street
Willie Street MPAS, PA-C, is currently a physician assistant with Phillips 66 Health Services where he leverages over three decades of clinical expertise to ensure the highest level of healthcare service is delivered to the staff at the Ponca City refinery.
Street found direction and support from influential staff and instructors at Northern Oklahoma College to complete his Associate of Science degree in 1982. He then graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science and Bachelor’s degree as a physician assistant in 1992. In 2022, Willie obtained a Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Texas Rio Grande.
After graduation, he went to work serving the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations of Oklahoma. In 2000, he moved back to his hometown of Tonkawa to fulfill his long-held desire to provide quality healthcare to the surrounding communities through a partnership with his wife and Dr. Paul Briggs.
He eventually transitioned to service with Phillips 66 Health Services
Street is a member of the Tonkawa tribe and a descendant of the Cherokee and Ponca tribes.
The event registration and mixer will be held from 4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Renfro Center lobby with dinner at p.m. in the banquet room. The NOC Roustabout Benefit Show will follow the dinner at 7:30 p.m. at the KPAC.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.