An Interesting Neighbor

Dale Haynes is a rancher near Lexington, raising Hereford cattle and instilling patriotic pride among young people.

He was born in Oklahoma City and his father died in 1959 when Dale was 12. In 1964, the family moved to Lexington. 

After graduating from Lexington High School in 1965, Dale went to work at Tinker Air Force Base where he was training to become a machinist.

The next year he got his draft notice. But before he was to report, he enlisted in the Army.

You see, as a volunteer he could pick his MOS (military occupational specialty).

He chose radar repairman and for a time taught electronics at Ft. Monmouth, N.J.

In 1969, the Army sent him where they sent so many young soldiers at the time – to the small Asian country of Vietnam where the Communist-backed Viet Minh had warred against the French since 1946 and the United States since 1955.

He was stationed at Qui Nohn, a coastal city in the country’s center and home to Qui Nohn Army Airfield where there was a need for someone with his skills.

He got there right after the Tet Offensive and served eight months in-country. His rank was specialist 5.

He was too poor to consider college right out of high school, but backed by the G.I. Bill, that’s where he set his sights when he completed his enlistment.

He’d gone back to his job at Tinker after the Army and had also enlisted in the Oklahoma National Guard.

He was 25 when he started college, earning an associate’s degree from what was then Oscar Rose Junior College, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s in business administration from then Central State University.

With his full time day job, Dale took all but one semester’s classes at night.

“It took me 10 years to get my bachelor’s degree and probably around another five to get my master’s,” he said.

He has that kind of determination.

While in the Guard, Dale completed Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a second lieutenant. 

He retired from the Guard after 19 years with the rank of major. He was also inducted into the Guard’s OCS Hall of Fame.

He worked for years as a machinist at Tinker, but after college he became a classification specialist in civilian personnel at the base. His career culminated in five years as a labor relations officer. 

In  2002, he retired from Tinker with 30 years service. That same year he retired from the Guard.

He met his wife, Marcia, and married her in 1973. They made their home in Moore for several years before settling near Lexington.

Together, they raised four children and a grandson.

Terri, the oldest, is a nurse practitioner who also retired from the Guard with the rank of major.

Scott was a master sergeant when he retired from the Guard. He now works for the Veterans Administration.

Curt is still in the Guard, as is his wife, Shelly. He is a chief warrant officer 3 and a maintenance equipment specialist. Shelly is the first female sergeant major in the Guard.

Like her mother, Dana is a registered nurse. She works as a flight nurse.

The grandson, Tyler, is active duty Army and is assigned to the Old Guard’s 3rd Brigade at Arlington National Cemetery.

“What I’m most proud of is the kids,” Dale said.

The family today includes nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He’s also especially proud of his family’s military heritage that has grown with each generation.

An uncle died of malaria during World War II and Dale’s father and stepfather both served during the Korean Conflict. Two brothers – Ray and Ernest – were also in the Army.

Marcia worked at the prison east of Lexington where she ran the mental health unit. She was also instrumental in establishing similar units across the state for the Department of Corrections.

After leaving the DOC, Marcia started CenOK, a home health care company in Lexington. She was the company’s administrator and Dale ran the business side which included separate Medicare and Medicaid operations.

At one time, the company had 350 employees across much of Oklahoma.

When the couple sold CenOK in 2002, the Medicare and Medicaid sides were purchased by two different buyers, both of whom moved the businesses to Purcell.

It was while the couple still owned CenOK that Dale was elected to the Lexington School Board.

The district had a dual track policy that required eighth grade students to choose between vo-tech or college after high school.

That “bothered me a little bit,” he said. “We were dirt poor when I was in high school. There’s no way I thought about college before the G.I. Bill.”

Dale also turned his attention to veterans affairs. He became a charter member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post for Lexington and Purcell.

He has served several years as post commander and is presently the quartermaster.

He also noticed that American Legion Post 301 in Lexington, established in 1946, had basically shut down.

“I joined the American Legion and took the job as adjutant,” he said. “I couldn’t see letting the American Legion die.”

He is still the organization’s adjutant and is also the American Legion District 5 commander. The district includes Cleveland, McClain and Garvin counties.

Marcia is president of the American Legion Auxiliary.

The two organizations share some members and use the same meeting hall in downtown Lexington. That building is owned by the American Legion.

The American Legion posts in Wayne and Purcell have since closed, merging with Post 301 and membership is now about 130. Dale said VFW membership is about 33.

“Both organizations support veterans,” he said, “and more importantly promote patriotism in schools.”

The VFW conducts annual essay contests through the schools and the American Legion presents awards to a senior boy and girl each year in area schools.

About five or six years ago Dale joined the board of the Lexington Rural Fire Association and is now the president and treasurer.

The association has a contract with the town of Lexington stipulating association members are exempt from charges assessed by the Lexington Fire Department to respond to fires outside the city limits.

Residents pay $50 a year to  become members and the association uses that money to support the fire department.

Dale is a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Lexington. Marcia converted to Catholicism and attends Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Purcell.

“I feel the Lord has opened and closed a lot of doors for us,” Dale said. “We’ve seen the Lord’s hand on everything. We’ve been very blessed.”