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 Raymond D. Gary - Woodberry Forest Cemetery - Madill, OK
N 34° 04.466 W 096° 45.632
14S E 706649 N 3772673
Raymond D. Gary was the fifteenth Governor of the State of Oklahoma, and he is buried with his wife in Woodberry Forest Cemetery, Madill, OK.
Waymark Code: WM11VEV
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 12/22/2019
Views: 3
Raymond Gary was an Oklahoman politician who was successful in his own business ventures before becoming a state senator (1941) and later, Governor of Oklahoma (1955). His legacy includes bringing the state's schools out of segregation -- peacefully -- and improving Oklahoma's roads and boosting its industry.
Governor Gary is buried with his wife, Emma, near the fence at the south end of the cemetery, their final resting places covered by a stone slab and a gray plot marker that has the family name, "Gary", on both sides. The Great Seal of the State of Oklahoma is in the approximate center of the slab. Each has their own simple footstone, and they read:
Raymond D. Gary
Jan. 21, 1908
Dec. 11, 1993
15th Gov. of
Oklahoma
Emma M. Gary
Oct. 2, 1907
May 15, 1992
Description:
Raymond Gary was born near Madill in 1908, growing up in a farm along Buncombe Creek near both Madill and Kingston. He met his future wife as they rode on horseback to school in Madill. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree while attending Southeastern State College -- now Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and some years before Dennis Rodman was there -- where he also taught, and took a four year turn as school superintendent in Marshall County.
He started his own business, the Gary Manufacturing Company, in 1936, and by 1940, he entered the world of politics as a state senator in Oklahoma City. By the time he was elected governor in 1955, he had also acquired Kingston Commercial Oil and Gas, which he renamed to "Sooner Oil Company", and he had also grown his own ranch (near Kingston) to a considerable size.
After delivering his inaugural speech, Gary went right to work, introducing the Better Schools Amendment, which would compel schools to integrate by leveling the playing field with regards to funding. He aimed at improving the state's roads, working alongside the federal government to utilize existing highways (like US 66) in creating both I-40 and I-35. He was a cheerleader for the state with regards to attracting business to Oklahoma, using promotions to draw interest in the state's economic and environmental potential, all while improving the state's waterworks and related infrastructure. He was successful in making appropriations for schools, the elderly, the highway patrol, and health care, including mental health programs that drew national attention. He generally maintained a budget that didn't require raising taxes or spending increases, and was known for his ability to compromise.
While Gary was governor, Oklahoma celebrated its fiftieth anniversary as a state, and he opened the Semi-Centennial Exposition in Oklahoma City with a golden tomahawk. After he retired from the office in 1959, he returned to his business affairs, never to hold political office again. He passed on here in Madill in 1993, having outlived his wife by about a year.
Date of birth: 01/21/1908
Date of death: 12/11/1993
Area of notoriety: Politics
Marker Type: Horizontal Marker
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight Hours
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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