OSU Pride Works
Dr. Thomas Salyer of Idabel with some of the OSU memorabilia
that fills his office shelves |
How does alumnus and adjunct faculty member Thomas Salyer, D.O., love OSU? With a little help from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, let us count the ways.
Salyer loves OSU “to the depth and breadth and height” of the goalposts tossed into Theta Pond after OSU beat OU. He loves it “to the level of every day’s most quiet need” to wear OSU scrubs at work. And he “shall but love it better” after four-hour drives (one way) to Stillwater to attend football games.
Salyer, a 1992 graduate of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, is a family practitioner in Idabel. He earned his undergraduate degree at Southeastern OSU in Durant, and worked as a medical technician before starting medical school in 1988, the year the College became part of the OSU system. His medical class was the first to complete four years as OSU students.
Over the years, his OSU pride has flourished. Salyer recently became a member of the College’s alumni association advisory board, representing the Southeastern district. As an adjunct faculty member, he is active in the state-wide OSU Physicians network that provides primary care to Medicaid patients as part of teaching activities.
His two children and their spouses, who went to OSU, and his in-laws are OSU grads, too. He and his wife, Wanda, also have five grandchildren, so more OSU family members may be along soon.
“He is a huge OSU fan. He bleeds orange,” says Kim Penick, associate director of OSU clinical financial services. “When I visit his office, he always has on orange and black.” Office staffers often wear OSU attire, too - except for one who is a diehard OU fan. Salyer’s Cowboy chivalry can easily handle a little crimson and cream. “We just wear our colors and get to work,” he says.
When future OSU physicians train with him, they find a raft of OSU sports memorabilia dotting the office decor. By his own reckoning, Salyer has three signed basketballs, two or three footballs, a signed-by-Thurman Thomas OSU helmet, a signed photo of Barry Sanders running the ball against OU, even a piece of the dunked goalpost.
“When the goalpost was tossed into Theta Pond, my son’s fraternity sent the pledges to fish it out. They took it to the fraternity house, cut it into sections and sold them for $100 each to raise money to repave their parking lot,” Salyer says.
He treasures above all the signed NCAA Final Four basketball he bid for at an Oklahoma Osteopathic Association auction two years ago. How does he love it? Only he can count the ways.
Staff members from left: Julie Fisher, Judy Gilley, Tammy Tapley, Leslie Highfull, Marqueta Stonebarger, Julie Fitzgerald and Wanda Salyer
Do you, or does someone you know, show OSU pride at work?
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Contact Marla Schaefer, Rounds editor. |
 Dr. Casey new medical director of immunization coalition
“I always knew I wanted to be a doctor,” says Rhonda Casey, D.O. and new medical director of the Tulsa Area Immunization Coalition (TAIC).
Growing up the oldest child on a farm near Okmulgee, she took care of animals and read books about medicine and doctors. “I was enthralled,” she says.
Her path to becoming a pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at was neither quick, nor easy. “I got married young and had two children,” she says. But at age 28, she quit her job driving a forklift to go after her dream. After graduating from the College in 1996, she was in private practice for a few years, and then joined OSU. Today, she works at OSU Physicians – Houston Parke, where she cares for patients and helps train residents, interns and student doctors.
As medical director for TAIC, she serves as an advisor on medical matters and helps to promote the coalition, which provides free childhood vaccines as well as adult flu and pneumonia vaccines and tetanus boosters. The coalition is funded by the Oklahoma State Department of Health through the Centers for Disease Control. (For more information: www.tulsaimmunize.com)
Teaching and seeing patients keeps her so busy she hasn’t had time to fuss with office décor. “Dr. (Stan) Grogg says my office looks like I need to have a garage sale,” she says. Photos, drawings, books, and pictures create cheerful clutter that takes a bit of navigating, but Casey is focused on medicine.
“I love what I do, so, to me, it isn’t hard work,” she says. “I like sharing my love of pediatrics with students, and I learn, too. They keep me on my toes.”
We're OSU Family
"Mr. Alumni" Ryan Miller, assistant director of alumni affairs, welcomes Cara Johnston and John Seagraves into the alumni association at a recent lunch . First year medical students became association members and also received OSU-MED pins. |
United Way campaign includes popcorn and a movie
Elizabeth Nokes assists Patrick Tucker and Cathy Ramsey bags popcorn when United Way donors were treated to popcorn and a movie as a thank you for participating in the fundraising drive. |
Round of Applause!
The CHS external affairs team took honors at the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine in annual communications competition. The CHS w ebsite and the alumni association COMmunicator newsletter each earned second place awards. To view the website presentation, go to www.healthsciences.okstate.edu and click on future students; to view the COMmunicator, click on alumni.
A total of 19 medical students have each received a $1,000 grant from the scholarship fund of the Tulsa County Medical Society. Awards and recipients include:
William C. Stone, M.D. Memorial Award, Garrett H. Decker; Jerry L. Puls, M.D. Memorial Award: John Paulson; C.S. Lewis, Jr., M.D. Memorial Award: Audrey Stanton; John R. Alexander, M.D. Memorial Award: Whitney Allison; Tulsa Surgical Society Award: Richard Le and Elaine Ramos. Anna Luvern Hays, M.D. Memorial Award: Justin Chronister and Katherine Cook; Dr. William R. R. and Ruth G. Loney Memorial Award: Chelsey Griffin and Stephanie Griffith; Martha Jane Jackson/Richard Jackson Memorial Award: Matt Hoffman and Joel Hopper. Wilma Jean Bowden Memorial Award: Kyle Jones, Anna Loyd and Kristin Martin; O.C. Armstrong, M.D. Memorial Award: Ryan Oden and Brian Ranson; Dr. Walter and Shala Larrabee Memorial Award: Valerie Ritter; and the Dr. Frank L. and Jessie O. Flack Memorial Award, Tim Teel.
Abstracts Published: “Mammals of the Monarch Mill Formation at Eastgate, Churchill County, Nevada.” Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Abstracts of Papers, 64th Annual Meeting, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, 25 (supplement 3): 1165A (Dr. Kent Smith).
Appointment: Nominated to the Board of Scientific Reviewers for the American Journal of Veterinary Research, three-year term, January 2006 – December 2008 (Dr. Al Rouch).
Reviews: Reviewed a manuscript for the American Journal of Veterinary Research (Dr. Al Rouch). Reviewed paper for Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior journal (Dr. Craig Stevens).
Halloween: Sweet!
CHS hosted young visitors from Eugene Field elementary school, including The Lion King, on campus Oct. 31. They got treats and we got Happy Halloween (and “thank you for the candy”) wishes.
Sundae school:
Kelli Fields and Shontay Patterson
dish up sundaes for visiting students.
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