Hall of Fame Member Biographies

George Lynn Cross

George Lynn Cross was appointed president of the University of Oklahoma in 1944, at the age of thirty-nine. At that time, he was head of the OU department of biology and was a member of the search committee that turned to him to fill the presidential vacancy. He served as president for twenty-five years, the longest OU presidential tenure in history.

He authored seven books and received numerous professional honors and awards. Cross Center, a student housing complex, is named in his honor, and the university’s research fellowships bear his name. A bronze statute on the OU campus is a permanent reminder of the George L. Cross legacy. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 1995. He died in retirement on December 31, 1988.