Hall of Fame Member Biographies

William D. Pennington

Dr. William D. Pennington served as President of Murray State College from 2004 to 2007. President Pennington began his higher educational career in 1976 as the Director of Student Activities at Tulsa Community College and later served as the Dean of Student Services at the Northeast Campus of Tulsa Community College till 1989. The following year, Pennington received the honor of serving at the University Center of Tulsa, as the Dean of Student Services until 1994 when he moved out of state. In 1997, Pennington returned to his home state to serve as the Dean of Humanities and later Dean of the Enid campus for Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Pennington was awarded the prestigious McCasland Award in 2001 for Excellence in Teaching Oklahoma History. In addition to his educational leadership roles, Pennington served on numerous boards across Oklahoma including the Oklahoma Historical Society. He was also a noted and published author and lecturer on topics dealing with Native American and Oklahoma history.