By CORKY HALL
It all started with a shared car.
The family’s 1967 goldish-brown Chevy Impala, affectionately known as “The Classic.”
Between classes, work shifts and deadlines at the campus newspaper, Angelia and Valarie Case built more than resumes at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
They grew roots.
Nearly four decades later, those roots are still firmly planted in Alva and at the university.
This August and September, respectively, the Waynoka natives will begin their 37th year as employees at Northwestern.
What began as student involvement with the Northwestern News, Angelia as a photographer and Valarie as editor, evolved into careers defined by service to the university and the community that surrounds it.
It didn’t take long for the sisters to bleed red and black.
As students in the early 1980s, the sisters developed photographs in a darkroom and assembled newspaper pages by hand before desktop publishing changed everything.
“I’ll never forget the first time I scanned a photograph, and it appeared on the computer screen,” Valarie said. “It was mind-boggling.”
Valarie, who was the first student at Northwestern to earn a degree in mass communications, eventually returned to Northwestern as an employee in the very office she worked as a student.
She even did a two-year stint as a faculty member and adviser to the publication she once edited. Today, she serves as assistant director of university relations.
“What stands out is Valarie’s consistent love for Northwestern,” said Kelsey Martin. “She cares about every facet of the university, from each department to athletics to enrollment.”
Martin said Valarie’s longevity in the role has allowed her to adapt alongside the changing landscape of communications.
“She has been in this role for decades and has seen technology change each year,” Martin said. “She is on top of trends and always continuing her knowledge. She has shaped our department to be an outstanding department that wants to share the news of Northwestern.”
Angelia, who earned her degree in art, has worked in multiple departments across campus and now serves as an administrative assistant to the dean of faculty with additional roles as academic projects assistant and media specialist.
For years, she has also designed the NWOSU-Alva Homecoming button artwork that has become part of campus tradition.
Their titles may have changed over time. Their commitment has not.
“One of the first questions she asks isn’t, ‘Is this good for me?’ but ‘Is this good for the university?’” said James Bell, former dean of faculty. “She’s a sincere and convincing cheerleader for Northwestern, a real positive force.”
When asked why they chose to stay in Alva, they spoke of the community and its support.
“Maybe it’s as simple as you find your people,” Valarie said. “You like where you are. So why not stay?”
Martin said that commitment traces back to Valarie’s time as a student.
“She first came to Alva as a student and has loved her university since,” Martin said.
“She created a passion for the Rangers. She cares deeply for serving others and making Northwestern and Alva better places for those around her.”
They spoke about churches that donate monthly to campus efforts, businesses that encourage volunteerism and neighbors who show up in moments of crisis.
“They give and give and give,” Angelia said. “I can’t imagine every town being as charitable as Alva.”
In January 2019, the sisters helped establish the NWOSU Campus Cabinet Food Pantry to support students and employees experiencing food insecurity.
The first day, no one came.
But through encouragement, they kept the doors open.
Since its founding, the pantry has registered 307 total clients and distributed more than 32,000 pounds of food and supplies.
During the fall 2025 semester alone, it averaged about 10 clients per week, with 27 new clients registered so far during the 2025-26 school year.
“By being able to provide food and hygiene items, we’re helping to alleviate a little stress,” Angelia said.
Their service extends beyond campus.
Valarie has served as the local coordinator for Day of Kindness in Northwest Oklahoma.
Both sisters volunteer with the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council, assist with the annual Nescatunga Arts Festival and support First Friday Artwalks at the Runnymede.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when masks were scarce, the sisters joined their mother, Lorraine Case, in sewing more than 2,000 masks for community members, the Northwestern choir and local churches.
“We’d all put in our full day of working and then go till midnight,” Lorraine said. “It was a challenge, but it was worth it.”
Lorraine, who retired as a certified dietary manager at a local nursing home before taking a part-time role as a test proctor in Northwestern’s distance learning office, believes Alva’s defining trait is how quickly it rallies in times of need.
“If there is a need, the town pulls together,” she said. “There have been times when students or former students had a crisis, and this town pulled together like you would not believe.”
That culture of generosity shaped the sisters’ own approach to service.
In March 2025, Angelia and Valarie were named Citizens of the Year by the Alva Chamber of Commerce, an award that reflects decades of steady, often behind-the-scenes work.
“It just gives you the best feeling in the world to see how respected they are,” Lorraine said.
From attending and photographing every Ranger football game, home and away.
During the 1999 national championship season to establish a scholarship in memory of their father Jim, the sisters’ lives are intertwined with Northwestern’s story.
“Most people who think of them will think total Rangers,” Lorraine said. “They bleed red and black.”
“I can’t remember Northwestern without Angelia and Valarie Case,” said Jeremy Meyer. “They’re a part of Northwestern, and Northwestern is a part of them.”
In a world that often encourages graduates to leave small towns in pursuit of something bigger, Angelia and Valarie Case chose something deeper.
They chose to invest where they were planted, in a university, a town and a community that first invested in them.
“The best and sometimes the worst parts are defined by students,” Valarie said. “The best is getting to know students, watching them grow, developing friendships with them and fellow employees. But the worst may be seeing them leave , but knowing that once you’re a Ranger, you’re always a Ranger.”
After 36 years, their legacy is not defined simply by longevity.
It is defined by loyalty.
And in Alva, that loyalty has made all the difference.