Alumni Awards 2024

Alumnus of the Year: This award recognizes an alumnus who advances the Kingdom of God through noteworthy, long-term accomplishments in professional endeavors, significant service to the church, and a positive impact on the lives of others.

Young Alumnus Award: This award is given to an individual under 40 who displays distinguished leadership in his or her field and shows promise of future growth professionally and personally.

Hall of Faith Award: This honor is awarded to an alumnus who is currently or has been in full-time, long-term Christian ministry and has demonstrated faithful, consistent service throughout that time.

One Another Award: This honor recognizes an alumnus who has actively served others in some capacity for at least five years, advancing Christ’s Kingdom through compassion and exemplary commitment of time, talent, and treasure.

Heritage Alumni Award: This award is given to an alumnus of Miltonvale Wesleyan College or Central Pilgrim College who displays significant service to others, distinguished leadership, noteworthy accomplishments, and a positive impact on the lives of others.

 

2024 Outstanding Alumni Honored

In recognition for their courage, achievement, and commitment to OKWU’s vision and mission, we proudly present this year’s Alumni Awards.

Tatton & Jessica Manning

Alumni of the Year

Tatton (’02) and Jessica (Riemenschneider, ’02) Manning are the 2024 Alumni of the Year!

Tatton grew up in small-town Oklahoma and chose OKWU after a campus visit initiated by the baseball coach. He was not a believer at the time, but he liked what campus was all about.

Jessica grew up in Austin, Texas, and attended a Wesleyan church. As a high school student, she visited OKWU. Even though she wasn’t sure about going to college in such a small town, she eventually decided that it was the best choice for her.

After his sophomore year, Tatton made the decision to follow Christ. He was influenced greatly by the many believers he was surrounded by. Tatton and Jessica started dating shortly after this, were engaged in September 2002, and got married in the summer of 2003.

Tatton majored in business administration, while Jessica earned her degree in behavioral science.

Following their time at OKWU, Tatton began working at a car dealership. In 2005, he joined the Army, where he served a tour in Afghanistan. In 2009, he finished his stint in the military, and the couple moved to Tulsa, where Tatton pursued his MBA. Jessica, who earned a graduate degree from the University of Texas, worked in the behavioral health field for several years before the couple started growing their family. As the children came, she shifted to a stay-at-home mom role. She also homeschooled them when the time came.

In 2014 the couple returned to Bartlesville to launch Patriot Auto Group. Over the last ten years, their business has grown to include eight different stores across northeast Oklahoma, including two in Bartlesville.

The Mannings are known for their philanthropic endeavors in the Bartlesville community, both as individuals and through Patriot Auto Group. Every year, Patriot gives away four cars as part of their Student of the Year program, and the Mannings are dedicated supporters of their alma mater and other causes throughout Bartlesville. This belief in investing in others is rooted in a specific experience Jessica had while she was a student.

She received a scholarship between her sophomore and junior year that made it possible for her to return to Bartlesville. Someone’s generosity at that time allowed her to stay at BWC, and the couple has made a point of giving back as the years have gone on.

Tatton and Jessica Manning live in Bartlesville with their four children: Elianna, Avi, Tatton, and Jett

 

 

Mandy Blain

Young Alumnus Award

Mandy (Muncy, ’14) Blain is the 2024 Young Alumnus of the Year!

Blain is an ER nurse at Jane Phillips Medical Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where she has worked since her graduation.

Blain grew up in North Texas and dreamed of playing college volleyball. She also had a vision of becoming a nurse, but many of the schools she looked at wouldn’t let her play volleyball and enroll in the nursing program, due to the high workload. OKWU was unique in that it was willing to let her do both. After a tryout, the coach prayed with Blain and her family. A few weeks later, when the coach called with an offer, Blain accepted right away.

Blain faced many struggles as a student, as she had multiple hours of practice every day on top of intense classes. While it wasn’t always easy, through her hard work and the support of her professors and friends, Blain was able to accomplish her goals. Her impressive volleyball career included over 1,000 kills and more than 1,500 digs. She also met her husband, Andrew (’13), while at OKWU.

Blain graduated in 2014. As a student, she worked an externship in the emergency room at Jane Phillips. During her final year of college, she continued to work there. After she graduated and passed her NCLEX exam, Blain was hired full-time. She has spent the past 10 years working in the ER.

With God’s provision and her own determination, Blain is living the dream she felt back as a high school student, serving others in their time of need by being a nurse who listens and cares for her patients. She is a shining example of what OKWU’s Department of Nursing is all about: the foundation of Christ and His ministry to heal individuals, communities, and nations.

Mandy and Andrew Blain live in Bartlesville with their children: Harper (5), Hudson (3), and Hawkins (1).

 

 

Phil & Betty Lou Harris

Hall of Faith

Phil (MWC ’67) and Betty Lou (MWC ’65) Harris are the recipients of the 2024 Hall of Faith Award. They have more than five decades of ministry in the Wesleyan Church, and it all stems from their experience as students at Miltonvale Wesleyan College in the 1960s.

The couple met during their freshman year. Both were invested fully into their Miltonvale experience. Phil preached on the MWC gospel teams, sometimes serving at one church for Sunday morning service and another for Sunday evening services. Betty Lou was a member of a gospel trio, traveling to different churches and singing in services.

Betty Lou earned her associate’s degree in two years before transferring to Marion College. Phil finished up his degree at Miltonvale. They both graduated in 1967 and were married that July.

The couple moved to Kentucky, where Phil worked on his master’s degree at Asbury. While there, the couple also worked at a church in Lexington. When their time at Asbury was finished, they moved to a suburb of Buffalo, New York, where Phil was called to plant a church. Betty Lou worked on a Master of Library Science degree.

During their six years in New York, the couple had two children: Kari Jo and Scott. They also planted a church and developed a thriving small group ministry. Sometimes they’d have more people attend home groups during the week than they would have at Sunday morning services.

After New York, the family moved back to Kansas. They pastored churches in Lakin and Kansas City before starting a church plant in Overland Park. Again they relied on their small group ministry to grow the church, including Kids’ Klub. Each week, the couple welcomed 70 or more children into their home.

God opened the door for Phil to serve as District Superintendent, first for Kansas for two years and then for the Colorado-Nebraska District. He spent 19 years as DS of Colorado-Nebraska.

His focus as DS was to equip the churches in his district with the tools they needed to represent God well in their communities. This included a push to upgrade technology and equipment at every church.

In addition to their ministry work, Phil has served on the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Board of Trustees for 35 years, including 20 years as board secretary. This position meant that he signed diplomas for hundreds of OKWU graduates.

Since retiring from the DS role, the Harrises returned to pastoral ministry and continue to serve others. Together they have dedicated 57 years to ministry and impacted thousands of lives across many miles.

Phil and Betty Lou Harris currently reside in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

 

 

Val Callaghan

One Another Award

Val (Lehman, ‘91) Callaghan is the recipient of the
2024 One Another Award!

Callaghan was born to missionary parents in Swaziland. She spent the first ten years of her life in Swaziland before her family moved to a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. She lived there until she came to the States for college. With the exception of furloughs to the United States, Callaghan completed her early schooling in Africa.

Callaghan had family roots in Bartlesville. Her parents graduated from Central Pilgrim College, and she had extended family who called Bartlesville home. When the time came to choose a college, Callaghan’s connections to Bartlesville made BWC the right choice for her.

Callaghan majored in intercultural ministry. She loved her experience living overseas on the mission field and dreamed of returning after finishing school. As a student, she participated in BWC mission trips, including a trip to Munich, where she worked with Ken and Marilyn Blake.

Although she originally hoped to return to the mission field after college, God opened up different doors of ministry. A few years after she graduated, she returned to BWC to work in the enrollment office. Along the way, she got married, and in 1995 she gave birth to her first child.

She was a stay-at-home mom for several years and helped her husband’s contractor business by keeping the books and doing clerical work. In 2003, with her children now in school, she became an adjunct professor in OKWU’s ESL program. She spent time working with students who were coming to OKWU from other countries and needed to hone their English skills before they entered composition courses.

In 2008, she started working full-time at The Center (otherwise known as the Bartlesville Community Center), where she still works as managing director. She serves as the point person for the team, reporting directly to the trust authority that manages The Center.

Her favorite part of her position is working with agents in New York to determine which Broadway shows come for The Center’s Broadway in Bartlesville! series. The Center provides a variety of cultural and music events for people in Bartlesville to enjoy, including the OKM Music Festival, the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra, and Children’s Musical Theatre.

Although she may not have predicted all the steps that her journey has taken since her time as a student, Callaghan’s commitment to serving her community is evident. As a mother, teacher, and now community leader, Callaghan has a long history of positively impacting the lives of others.

Val Callaghan lives in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

 

Phil Nettleton

Heritage Alumni Award

Phil Nettleton (CPC ’66) is a recipient of the 2024 Heritage Alumni Award!

Nettleton grew up as the son of a pastor, moving around quite a bit in his youth. As a junior in high school, Nettleton and his father visited his older sisters at Central Pilgrim College in Bartlesville. Nettleton, who already felt called to ministry, felt confident that CPC was the right choice for him too. He attended his senior year of high school at
Central Pilgrim before enrolling as a freshman in the fall of 1962.

Nettleton majored in Religion/Philosophy, met his future wife, Lucille, and developed a love for ministry that he carried through the decades.

In September 1966, Phil and Lucille married and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Lucille was set to finish her degree in elementary education. After two years, they moved to Sylmar, California for a pastorate. This was followed by two years in Colorado Springs. In 1975, the Nettleton family of four moved to Pasadena, California, where they remained for seven years.

Nettleton had always felt drawn to international missions, and as a college student he was part of a missions trip to Kingstown, Jamaica, with his quartet. In 1982, Nettleton, his wife, and their two sons moved to Papua New Guinea. This was the first step in what became 32 years of missions ministry, including ten years working stateside at the headquarters of Global Partners.

All told, Phil and Lucille lived and served in five countries – Papua New Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guyana, and the Czech Republic. Their time in Czech Republic came after their years at headquarters and was unique. They served in a pastoral role for missionaries in Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia. In total, Nettleton has been to 70 countries. He and Lucille retired from Global Partners in 2014, but they continue to serve others. Nettleton has been involved in prison ministry, and the couple is now part of a church plant team in the Indianapolis area.

After years overseas, the Nettletons enjoy being closer to their grandchildren. The couple lives near two of their three sons in Indiana. They continue to love traveling, spending quite a bit of time visiting with their many friends and family spread across the US.

Nettleton resides in Westfield, Indiana, with his wife, Lucille.

 

 

Don Daake

Heritage Alumni Award

Dr. Don Daake (MWC ’71) is a recipient of the 2024 Heritage Alumni Award! He has had an expansive career in education, business, and consulting, one that has taken him all over the world.

However, it all started at Miltonvale Wesleyan College, where Daake attended his first two years from 1969-71.

Daake grew up in Charles City, Iowa. He and his family attended the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and singing groups from Miltonvale frequently would visit to put on performances. Daake’s two older brothers, Richard and Robert, both began their college years at MWC, and Daake followed in their footsteps when the time came.

Daake earned his associate’s degree from MWC, and he credits his time at MWC with preparing him for success. After wrapping up at MWC, he transferred to Kansas State and finished his undergraduate degree in history. Daake went on to earn his MBA from the University of Iowa.

In 1979, after some time working for Winnebago Industries, Daake took a job at Eastern Iowa Community College. There he worked mainly with students taking non-credit professional development courses. Daake also found himself in the classroom teaching undergraduate courses.

In 1986, an opportunity arose at Florida State University. Daake and his family had always wanted to live in Florida, so they moved to Tallahassee, where he served as the Director of Business and Industry Programming at Florida State’s Center for Professional Development.

After four years, Daake decided to pursue a PhD. He enrolled in Florida State’s College of Business, and over the next five years, he earned his PhD and worked as an instructor/researcher at the business school.

Daake finished his doctorate and took a position at Olivet Nazarene University, where his wife had earned her degree. They moved to Illinois in 1995, and Daake would serve at Olivet for the next 23 years as a professor of business.

In 2001, Olivet opened the Donald H. Weber Entrepreneur & Leadership Center and named Daake the Weber Center’s first director. From 2001 to 2016, he continued to teach classes and led community outreach programs through the Weber Center. He facilitated programs and brought in business leaders to come and speak to students.
In 2010, Daake was named Faculty Member of the Year, and in 2017, he was awarded the Richard Jones Teaching Excellence Award. He retired from full-time teaching in 2017, though he continues to be involved in his work as an adjunct professor at the DBA program run by Anderson University, which he started doing in 2004.

For the last 15 years, Daake has been a contributing writer to the Kankakee Daily Journal, writing columns on topics including business, values and ethics, emotional intelligence, and other pertinent issues. It continues to be something he enjoys, and he has had over 400 published columns.

Over the years, thousands of students have sat in Daake’s classes or benefited from programs he helped to implement. But Daake quickly credits his family for helping him choose his Christian-oriented worldview that led him down this path.

Dr. Don Daake and his wife, Barb, live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.