by Bill Crosby
1995 OU Club of Dallas President & Current Board Member

When I was president, things were kind of uneventful and went along pretty smoothly. "Same ole, same ole" or at least I thought so (I'm sure others didn't)....anyway.

I came onto the board the year Bud Tippens became president in 1983. As I remember the other board members were Randy Shockey, Jack Williams, Jack McKinney, Mike Bell, Warren Kice and....some others. I got onto the board through kind of a screw up, I think. At that time boards were elected by the membership, as now, but then there were nominations from the floor by the membership. Ther were no "Roberts Rules of Order" or "By-Laws" ever pulled out.

That year we were meeting in the Royal Coach Inn on Marsh Lane and Northwest Highway (would soon become the Dunfey Hotel) in a room called "Top of The Castle". I had been a member of the club for a while and a meeting was scheduled to hear someone - a sooner radio guy or someone from SID office - and have elections. The weather was bad and not many showed up (not even the speaker) and I guess there were extensive meetings before the meeting to determine who would be on the board and who would be the officers. I think the officers were determined first and then the board. It was pretty well cut and dried that Bud was president and Randy was treasurer and I guess there was a set board.

The board nominations were first announced to the 15 or 20 "members" in attendance. Then, almost offhandedly, they asked if there were any other nominations. I had come with a friend, Bruce Durso, who unknown to me, jumped up and nominated me. He said that I could do art work probably and could help the club that way. My election chances were then bolstered by Jack Williams who, in his shy manner, announced "We need him! We need a big banner for the dance!". I think Jack McKinney and Warren Kice were also nominated. A vote was then held and the "new administration" caucused for some time. They then announced that everyone was elected. I have been here for 19 years now and will probably make 20. For those that weren't around then, those early years were FUN.

I think the big difference in the club from then to now is, before 1983 the club existed as a purely social club and it did not care if only a few participated. All events were planned as "break even" with the OU-Texas dance money going to fund a (as in one) scholarship. Bud changed the direction of the club to a more profit producing organization and one that that worked to build membership numbers. Bud established the "pie in the sky" goal of banking $50,000 to fund our scholarship so that no matter what financial shape the club would be in we could always give a scholarship. (A goal that was met by the club, by the way.)