Gene V. Dougherty was presented the Lifetime Service award by 2020 recipient Calvin Crumrine at the annual Tonkawa chamber of commerce banquet.The presentation follows:Gene V. Dougherty – a friend to all who know him – is a noted Oklahoma artist and was an NOC art teacher for 24 years. In 1929, he was born in Hinton, OK, and contracted polio a year later. Despite his health issues – or maybe because of them – he developed an interest and skill in art at an early age. This skill enabled him to pay for his education, raise a family, and influence hundreds of art students. He has also donated countless paintings for worthy causes.After college graduation and a few years teaching art in Oklahoma secondary schools, he was asked to be artist in residence at Northern Oklahoma College. In 1965, Dr. Ed Vineyard asked him to join the faculty full time as “the” art teacher. During that time, he expanded the art department to two full-time teachers, providing instruction in several mediums.Many of Gene’s NOC students went from the classroom into the world to become artists, well-known illustrators, and teachers. He led his aspiring artists to Taos, Santa Fe, Branson, and New Orleans to photograph potential subject matter or sketch what they saw. Students saw firsthand how artists exhibit their work in professional art galleries. These students, in turn, have influenced other generations of artists by teaching others as he taught them.In addition to his college teaching, he has taught special classes at the Tonkawa elementary school and in Oklahoma prisons. In 2015, Gene was awarded the coveted Governor’s Arts Award from the Oklahoma Arts Council, the highest honor awarded each year at the state capitol. Also, in 2015, he was a featured artist at the Oklahoma State University’s Art Gallery with his “Skies That Bind” exhibition.Today, he continues to paint in his home, inviting others to paint or just to visit and have a glass of wine.Gene’s life has been devoted to his craft, his students, and his community. For this devotion, he is the 2022 recipient of the Tonkawa Chamber’s Lifetime Service Award. Thank you, Gene, for all you’ve done for so many.
