OU Regent Leslie J. Rainbolt-Forbes, M.D., of Oklahoma City shares a smile with her father, Gene Rainbolt, during the October Regents meeting where it was announced that the OU College of Education would be named for the late Jeannine Rainbolt, a former teacher and education advocate.
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tireless and passionate advocate for Oklahoma education, children and teachers now will have a lasting memorial at the University of Oklahoma. At their October meeting, the OU Regents approved naming the College of Education for Jeannine Rainbolt, making the college the first in OU’s history to be named for a woman, and forever linking Rainbolt’s name wi th the education and support of future teachers.
Longtime OU supporters H.E. “Gene” Rainbolt of Oklahoma City and family were recognized at the meeting for making an exceptional gift to OU to honor the life and carry forth the legacy of the late Jeannine Rainbolt, an OU education alumna.
“We are deeply grateful to the Rainbolt family for this thoughtful and meaningful gift, which underscores Jeannine’s commitment to advancing education in our state and the importance of a quality education for our schoolchildren and future teachers,” said OU President David Boren. “It is both fitting and historic that the College of Education will now carry her name.”
Gene Rainbolt, an alumni leader and chairman of BancFirst Corp., was joined by his son David and daughter Dr. Leslie Rainbolt-Forbes, in making the gift, bringing the family’s support to OU over the years to $8 million. Their latest gift provides support for:
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the renovation and expansion of Collings Hall, home of the College of Education, to provide a state-of-the-art facility that promotes learning, encourages collaboration and fosters ingenuity.
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the Jeannine T. Rainbolt Scholarship for Elementary School Teachers. Mr. Rainbolt established this fund earlier this year in memory of his wife of 57 years, who died in September 2007. Hundreds of Mrs. Rainbolt's friends and family members made memorial gifts to the scholarship endowment, bringing it to more than $1 million.
The Rainbolts met in their sixth-grade class at Norman’s McKinley Elementary School and married during their college years in 1950. Jeannine Rainbolt earned her OU degree in 1951, and her husband graduated the following year with a degree in economics and, later, earned his master’s degree in business administration.
While he served in the U.S. Army, she served as a schoolteacher at Stand Watie Elementary School in Oklahoma City. Even after leaving the full-time profession of teaching to raise their two children, she remained a tireless and passionate advocate on behalf of Oklahoma education, children and teachers.
In 2003, Jeannine Rainbolt was recognized with the Meritorious Service Award, one of the highest honors presented by the OU College of Education. The award, which she shared with her husband, recognized the Rainbolts’ many decades of service to and for Oklahoma schools.
The Rainbolts’ generosity to OU touches almost every area of the University and includes endowing faculty chairs in cancer, child psychiatry and finance, as well as the Jeannine T. Rainbolt Women’s Basketball Scholarship. Additionally, she was active in the OU Alumni Association and the Fine Arts Advisory Board and was an Associate of the Western Histories Collection and an Endowed President’s Associate.
Their children are both OU graduates. Dr. Rainbolt-Forbes is a member of the OU Board of Regents, and David Rainbolt is president and chief executive officer of BancFirst Corp.
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College of Education
