The Roy T. Oliver Walk and Gardens- University of Oklahoma - Norman, Oklahoma
Posted by: 
gparkes
N 35° 12.452 W 097° 26.496
14S E 641852 N 3897170
The Oklahoma University has an outstanding series of markers, explaining the names and events of different locations.
Waymark Code: WM7GD0
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 10/23/2009
Views: 13
The Roy T. Oliver Walk and Gardens
This walk, which extends in front of the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium from Jenkins Street to Michael F. Price Hall, and the gardens to the north side of it are named in honor of Roy T. Oliver, Jr. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Business in 1979.
Roy T. Oliver, Jr. is a native Oklahoman who was born in Holdenville in 1952. He attended Calvin High School in Calvin, Oklahoma. While growing up in rural Oklahoma, he loved the outdoors and was involved in competitive skeet shooting, winning junior and adult state titles at the age of 16. He served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam era. After being honorable discharged he used his GI Bill benefits to attend the University of Oklahoma. Roy Oliver’s story is one which captures the Sooner Spirit. It is a story of hard work and creativity. While attending the University, he engaged in the buying and selling of rental property. He purchased his first property with $3,000, which he borrowed from a local bank as a down payment. By the time of his graduation, Roy Oliver had accumulated over 30 properties.
After graduating from college, he used these resources to help form the U.S. Rig and Equipment Company which pursued the purchase, sale, and brokerage of drilling rigs and equipment. During the depression in the oil industry following the 1982 collapse of oil prices, Mr. Oliver had the vision and boldness to accumulate more than 100 drilling rigs. He is involved in a wide range of businesses including oil and gas products, banking, specialty advertising, and real estate.
By 2005, Roy Oliver was the largest individual owner of office buildings in the State of Oklahoma. He and his wife, Rebecca, have two sons – Ran and ty. He has a zest for life and has been a fixed wing helicopter pilot for 25 years and an aerobatic aircraft pilot. He has been a loyal and generous alumnus of the University of Oklahoma and has made major gifts, especially in the areas of business education and athletics. In addition he is committed to wildlife conservation and has maintained a large herd of 275 Bison and 50 Elk on his ranch near Norman.