By CHARLES BOLDES
Student Reporter
There will be a public dedication in honor of Wayne Lane at the Northwestern News office Oct. 18 in memory of his services as the adviser of publication and his role as director of public relations.
The Northwestern News newsroom in Jesse Dunn Annex will be renamed Wayne L. Lane Northwestern Newsroom on homecoming weekend.
“He would have been pleased and honored” his wife, Bettielou, said. “He loved homecoming, seeing alumni and new students come together every year.” He served as the homecoming chairman and was an honored parade marshal in 1991.
“We are honored to recognize the legacy of Wayne Lane and his contributions to Northwestern.” said Northwestern President Janet Cunningham. Northwestern will be issuing a special invitation to the dedication to all of Lane’s former students and staff members of Northwestern News and The Ranger Yearbook.
A native of Eldorado, Okla., Lane graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism as he served as the campus’s newspaper editor. Lane spent two and a half years serving during World War II as an aerial gunnery instructor in the United States Army Air Corps. After the war, he worked at the Wichita Daily Times in Wichita Falls, Texas, until 1959, when he became the public relations director at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. He met Bettielou there, and they married on April 24, 1976.
For three decades, Lane worked at Northwestern, where he shared his love of writing and journalism with students and “treated every student as if they were his own child” said Bettielou. Until Lane retired in January 1988, he supervised the publication of the Northwestern News, Ranger Yearbook and the Hall of Fame Committee. He also wrote the book “Northwestern: A Centennial History, the history of Northwestern Oklahoma State University.”
Many students and faculty members were impacted by his quiet, patient spirit. “He always took time out for students, constantly teaching them lessons about life.” said Bettielou.
Sometimes he would work late into the night. His wife would help out by bringing him food; it grew to such an extent that she brought enough for everyone with him. They both served as a second mother and father to many students during his service at Northwestern.
Rachel Stewart, his daughter, said, “One of my greatest memories with him was working in the darkroom, when we would develop pictures together and watch the pictures come to life.” Lane was pleased to see his daughter carry on his legacy at Northwestern before he died. “He was a true Ranger, he loved everything about Northwestern and all it embodied,” said Bettielou.
“For most of his life, he dedicated himself to this institution and this community, but most of all, to his students.” said Janet Cunningham, university president.