We Remember EHS Graduates Past, Present, and Future

04/14/2026

In loving memory or EHS Distinguished Alumnus Robert L. "Bob" Allen of the EHS Class of 1957. He will be so dearly missed:

View Robert "Bob" L. Allen's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

04/02/2026

Look at the jewel of a find, a cover page photo from The El Reno Daily Tribune of October 13, 1955 showing members of the Etta Dale Braves junior high football team at Memorial Stadium. Love it!

Do you recognize (or are you related to) anyone pictured?

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CREDIT:
Dyer, Ray J. The El Reno Daily Tribune (El Reno, Okla.), Vol. 64, No. 192, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 13, 1955, newspaper, October 13, 1955; El Reno, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc923077/m1/1/?q=%22Etta%20Dale%22: accessed April 2, 2026), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.

https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc923077/m1/1/zoom/?q=%22Etta%20Dale%22&resolution=4&lat=5198.808766972157&lon=1869.6323475178774

03/24/2026

Special thanks to the Eastman family for their donations to the ERPS Archives of some "finds" they had recently. Included was this gem, the El Reno Tribune newspaper from December 20, 2006, with the headline of the Gifts for Yanks program that El Reno High School still continues to this day, 20 years later.

Do you know any of the people whose names (or pictures) appear on this nearly 20-year-old newspaper?

11/11/2025

Congratulations, Dorian Plumley! We love those memories of you at EHS!

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤🔥

Congrats to Dorian Plumley for being named your UAC Defensive Player of the Week!!

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11/10/2025

Congratulations to Marty Hall of the EHS Class of 1972! His accomplishments with Sid's Diner and in his personal life truly speak for themselves.

Congratulations to Marty Hall for being named one of our 2025 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI!

We are proud to honor Marty Hall, a 1972 graduate of El Reno High School, for his remarkable accomplishments and lifelong dedication to our community. Marty’s education with El Reno Public Schools provided the foundation for his success. What began as a young man’s dream and $300 in his pocket became one of Route 66’s most famous stops and a beloved symbol of El Reno’s spirit. Marty’s faith, kindness, and generosity have touched countless lives, whether through his world-famous fried onion burgers, his service at community events, or his support of local causes. His journey proves that education, determination, and heart can create something truly extraordinary.

Congratulations, Marty! Your legacy continues to make El Reno and the Class of 1972 proud!

We are so proud of you, Marty! Come hear more of his story at our Thousands of Reasons Gala, Celebrating Distinguished Alumni and Educators.

November 18, Canadian Valley Vocational Tech, 6 PM, dinner starts at 6:30.

Teachers and ERPS are no charge and other tickets are $30, available at BancFirst or Great Plain Bank or by purchasing online at www.erpsf.org/events.

11/05/2025

Join us as we honor our veterans! The Veterans Day assembly will be held on Nov. 11 at 10:30 AM in the EHS Auditorium. We look forward to gathering as a community to show our gratitude.

09/03/2025

September 2nd is a day that always stands out to me for a variety of reasons. One is that today marks the anniversary of Japan formally surrendering to end World War 2. This event took place in 1945 in Tokyo Bay aboard the U.S.S. Missouri and came just a couple of weeks after V-J Day. The ending of the 2nd World War eighty years ago was a colossal event in world history, indeed.

In total, some SIXTY El Reno Public Schools alumni lost their lives in that war, and they are all commemorated on the World War 2 monument at Gold Star Plaza of our Memorial Stadium on Historic Route 66, where you can read each of their stories and see their faces. They had walked the halls of our schools just like our students of today do.

You can read more about the events of September 2, 1945 at this link: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-2/japan-surrenders

Respectfully,

Brian Rukes
ERPS Historian

Japan formally surrenders to the Allies aboard the USS Missouri, bringing an end to World War II.

08/30/2025

Ever wondered who all were Superintendents of El Reno Public Schools throughout history? Someone asked for this info, and I was able to figure out this much, at least. (Research done by Carolyn Barker previously was quite helpful, but I have added quite a bit of info to what she had put together.) We also now have pictures for MOST of these leaders of our schools, as well, but I won't share those today.

Note that Paul R. Taylor and Leslie F. Roblyer are tied for our longest-tenured superintendents by far, at 27 years each! It's only fitting that both of them have buildings in the District named after them, indeed.

The complete list, with some links to interesting info on some of them, is below. Research is ongoing, as always!

Superintendents of El Reno Public Schools:

Stuart N. Hopkins - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1891 to 1897 (6 years)

L.W. Cole - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1897 to 1900 (3 years)

Frederick N. Howell - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1900 to 1913 (13 years)

C.M. Lieb - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1913 to 1918 (5 years)

Charles E. Grady - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1918 to 1923 (5 years)

John Towner Butcher - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1923 to 1926 (3 years)
– passed away 8 March 1941 (age 63)

Leon J. Deming - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1926 to 1927 (1 year)

Harmon F. Allen - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1927 to 1930 (3 years)

Herbert E. Wrinkle - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1930 to 1935 (5 years)
– likely him: https://genealogytrails.com/oka/stephens/bios.html

Paul Revere Taylor - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1935 to 1962 (27 years) – passed away 4 April 1967 (age 69)

Leslie Freeman Roblyer (EHS 1943) - - - 1962 to 1989 (27 years) – passed away 10 April 2008 (age 82)

Leland Wilhelm - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1989 to 1993 (4 years)

Dr. Elizabeth Ann “Sandy” Wisley - - - - - 1993 to 1998 (5 years) – passed away 24 Feb 2016

Dr. Jan (Graham) Borelli - - - - - - - - - - - - 1998 to 2001 (3 years) – passed away 10 Feb 2010 (age 55)

Dr. Jeffrey Brian “Jeff” Mills - - - - - - - - - - 2001 to 2007 (6 years) – passed away 23 Sept 2013 (age 48)

Ranet Elaine (Hancock) Tippens - - - - - - 2007 to 2012 (5 years)

Craig McVay - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2012 to 2022 (10 years)

Matt Goucher (EHS 1985) - - - - - - - - - - - 2022 to present

- - - - - - - - - - END OF LIST - - - - - - - - - - - -

Respectfully,

Brian Rukes
ERPS Historian

BYRON L. ABERNETHY. A native of Missouri and a graduate of that State's educational system, Mr. Abernethy, having studied journalism at college, entered that profession immediately after his graduation. After having been connected for several years with the Associated Press, he came to Duncan, Steph...

05/06/2025

It's about that time again! Who can give me the next line? And let's see if we can get enough people chiming in to complete the entire EHS Alma Mater lyrics, but ONE LINE at a time:

"Far out on the western prairie"

Please "LIKE" and "SHARE" to get this post more visibility. Thanks!

04/11/2025

We're celebrating our BACK-TO-BACK girls basketball STATE CHAMPIONS today! See details below.

Come celebrate with us tomorrow in downtown El Reno as we honor another unforgettable season!

BACK-TO-BACK STATE CHAMPIONS!!!

The parade kicks off around 1:05 PM, starting at the high school and following the traditional homecoming route through downtown—featuring our band and cheerleaders!