James M. Epperson Jr., president ofSouthwestern Bell – Oklahoma, will providethis year’s Carl G. and Gladys L. HerringtonDistinguished Endowed Lecture at Rogers StateUniversity on Friday, March 1.
The lecture, which is free and open to thepublic, will begin at 10:30 a.m. in RSU’s WillRogers Auditorium.
Epperson began his career with SouthwesternBell in 1979 in Oklahoma City. He went on to awide variety of assignments in state andfederal regulatory, consumer research,marketing initiatives, customer services andmedia relations in Oklahoma, St. Louis, SanAntonio, and Southern California forSouthwestern Bell, Pacific Bell, and theirparent company, SBC Communications Inc. He wasappointed president of Southwestern Bell -Oklahoma in December 1999.
Epperson is active in a wide array of Oklahomaorganizations. He is chairman of the OklahomaArts Institute, chairman of the Oklahoma CityMetro United Way 2002 Campaign, vice-chair ofthe Allied Arts Board’s 2002 Campaign andvice-chair of the Economic DevelopmentDivision of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamberof Commerce.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from theUniversity of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
Epperson was born in Tahlequah, and also livedin Bristow, Cushing, and Ponca City while hewas growing up. His father and mother alsoworked for Southwestern Bell. He and his wife,Debbie, have two children, Janie and Jimmy,and one grandson, Robert.
The late Carl G. and Gladys L. Herringtonestablished the Herrington DistinguishedLectureship Endowment through the Rogers StateUniversity Foundation. Epperson’s presentationis the eighth in the Herrington Lectureshipseries. The Herringtons initiated thelectureship endowment as a way to provideexceptional educational opportunities at RSU.The Oklahoma State Regents for HigherEducation provided matching funds for theendowment.
Mr. Herrington, a retired Exxon executive,served on the RSU Foundation Board ofDirectors and was a longtime supporter of theuniversity. In 1990, RSU awarded Mr.Herrington its highest honor, the JeffersonFellow Award. The university’s HerringtonHall, which houses RSU’s business and computerscience programs, was named in honor of Mr.and Mrs. Herrington. Representing theHerrington family at the lecture will be Mr.Herrington’s sister, Margaret Herrington, ofTecumseh, Okla.
For more information, call the RSU Foundation at (918) 343-7773.