Weatherford, OK – Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) has announced its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame honorees.
Known as “SWOSU’s highest honor,” the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1976 by SWOSU to recognize outstanding former students and to celebrate their achievements. There are currently 128 SWOSU graduates who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The 2026 inductees include:
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Bennie Beutler, Class of 1970
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Melvena Heisch, Class of 1974
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John Lassiter, Class of 1963
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Bruce Magill, Class of 1970
Bennie Beutler leads the Beutler & Son Rodeo Company, a legacy enterprise with deep roots in the Beutler Brothers Rodeo Company started in 1929 by his grandfather, Elra Beutler. Today, Beutler & Son is one of the most successful and respected stock contracting firms in the professional rodeo industry. Beutler and his company have been recognized with seven Saddle Bronc of the Year awards, seven Bull of the Year awards, and seven Bareback Horse of the Year awards—the most ever bestowed on a single rodeo company. Beutler’s company is the first stock contracting company to ever win all three Top Bucking Stock of the Year awards in a single year (2022). Beutler has been named Chute Boss of the National Finals Rodeo, Chairman of the PRCA Board of Directors, and is an inductee in the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the PRCA Hall of Fame, the Bull Riding Hall of Fame of the Beutler Rodeo Company, and the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. Beutler is an inductee into the SWOSU Athletic Hall of Fame and a longtime, generous benefactor of the SWOSU Rodeo program.
Melvena Heisch joined the staff of the State Historic Preservation Office, a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society, in 1976 after completing her Masters Degree in History at Oklahoma State University. She became the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer in 1979 and served in the position until her retirement in 2017. She administered the National Historic Preservation Act programs for the State of Oklahoma and achieved numerous accomplishments with lasting benefits for the citizens of the state. Under these federal programs carried out in partnership with the National Park Service, Heisch and her staff recorded tens of thousands of archeological and historic properties statewide, achieved listing in the National Register of Historic Places for over 1,200 locations during her tenure, assisted local governments to strengthen local historic preservation programs, and provided technical assistance to property owners and the general public. She developed and presented the annual statewide preservation conference from 1989 until her retirement. Also, she worked to secure passage of the Oklahoma rehabilitation tax credit which facilitates rehabilitation of historic buildings, such as the majestic Skirvin Hotel at Park and Broadway Avenues in Oklahoma City. Heisch also designed the Oklahoma Centennial Farm and Ranch Program which recognizes families who have owned and operated their land for at least 100 years. Heisch is an inductee of the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame, a Kirkpatrick Medal recipient, recipient of the 2016 U. S. Secretary of the Interior’s Award for her lifetime of work to preserve the nation’s heritage, and many other honors. Heisch grew up at Reydon, Oklahoma in Roger Mills County. She and her siblings own their family farm northwest of Reydon. The farm includes the original quarter section acquired by her great grandfather in 1906.
John Lassiter is a native of Seminole, Oklahoma. Lassiter is a 1963 graduate of the SWOSU College of Pharmacy (SWOSU COP). He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1969. Lassiter later served the people of Oklahoma as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1986 to 1990. Lassiter has contributed extensively to the pharmacy profession and his alma mater, serving three terms on the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy, totaling 15 years of service, and serving as President of the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association from 1984 to 1985. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Southwestern Pharmacy Alumni Foundation, Incorporated. Lassiter’s generous support provides two annual scholarships for SWOSU COP students. He is a designated preceptor for SWOSU COP student experiential education rotations in community pharmacy and compounding pharmacy practice. Shirley, Lassiter’s beloved wife of 58 years, passed away in 2024. Shirley was a lifetime educator who retired as principal of Moore High School. Lassiter and Shirley’s daughter, Shonda Lassiter, ’98, carries on Lassiter’s legacy as a co-owner with her father of Lassiter Drug in Del City, Oklahoma. Lassiter founded Lassiter Drug in 1970. Lassiter is a proud grandfather to Shonda’s son, Ty.
Bruce Magill is the founder of Magill Insurance & Real Estate in Weatherford. He has served in numerous capacities with the Weatherford Area Economic Development Foundation, Weatherford Industrial Trust, and Weatherford Kiwanis Club. He served as treasurer of the Federated Church for 40 years and served for 20 years as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Prairie West Golf Course in Weatherford. In 2007, Magill served as chair of the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma Board of Directors. He is a SWOSU Presidential Order of Merit laureate and an Emeritus Trustee of the SWOSU Foundation, Incorporated where he served as Board Secretary, Finance Chair, Property Chair, and sat on the Investment Committee. Magill and his wife, Terry, are parents of three and grandparents of seven. The Magills are generous Founder-level donors to the SWOSU Bulldog Angels Fund for SWOSU students in crisis.
The 2026 SWOSU Distinguished Alumni honorees will be recognized during the SWOSU Convocation activities planned for May 8-9 on the Weatherford campus.
For more information, please visit www.swosu.edu or call the SWOSU Office of Institutional Advancement at 580-774-3267.
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