Altus, OK. – The Western Oklahoma State College Alumni Association was honored to induct Representative Gerrid Kendrix into the Alumni Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 29th. The evening was filled with family and friends to celebrate the accomplishments of an outstanding Western Oklahoma State College alum and supporter.
Representative Kendrix was born in Cherokee, Oklahoma, grew up in Altus, and is the third generation to call it home. Kendrix graduated from Altus High School in 1985 and attended Western Oklahoma State College from 1985-86. Kendrix was a music major and has fond memories of Mr. Duffy's music program. He was a member of The Prairie Singers, Barbershop Quartet and starred as Padre in the campus musical Man of LaMancha. Gerrid is a Lifetime Member of the WOSC Alumni Association.
Entertainment for the evening was provided by VORTEX, a men's quartet featuring an array of Barbershop favorites. Dr. Jeff Moore from First Baptist Church of Altus spoke about memories with Representative Kendrix, and Randy Kendrix spoke about childhood and the lessons he learned from his brother throughout their lives.
The evening concluded with a special presentation from Dr. Chad Wiginton, WOSC President, providing Representative Kendrix with an official transcript from Western Oklahoma State College. Although Representative Kendrix transferred to a 4-year university without graduating from Western, thanks to the "reverse transfer" option, he is now an official graduate of Western. The "reverse transfer" option allows students who have 15 or more credits with Western to transfer back usable hours from another school and receive their associate's degree. The advantage to this is that universities in Oklahoma must accept the associate degree as satisfaction of the general education requirements. For more information about the "reverse transfer" option, email admissions at records@wosc.edu.
The WOSC Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1996 and recognizes and honors Altus Junior College and Western Oklahoma State College alumni who, through leadership, character, and hard work, have made exceptional contributions in their field, in their community, and at WOSC. For more details and information on nominations for the 2024 Alumni Hall of Fame, visit wosc.edu/alumni or contact the Development and Alumni Office at 580-477-7706.
Representative Gerrid Kendrix full bio:
Gerrid Kendrix was born in Cherokee, Oklahoma, grew up in Altus, and is the third generation to call it home. Gerrid graduated from Altus High School in 1985 and attended Western Oklahoma State College from 1985-86. Gerrid was a music major and has fond memories of Mr. Duffy’s music program. He was a member of The Prairie Singers, Barbershop Quartet and starred as Padre in the campus musical, Man of LaMancha. Gerrid is a Lifetime Member of the WOSC Alumni Association
Gerrid opened his accounting office in 1989 and returned to school, at Cameron University, as a non-traditional student.
Oddly enough, Gerrid dropped his very first accounting class but in 1991 he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. Gerrid says that he found college to be “a lot of work,” and it took discipline and commitment to work through it. In 1994, he acquired his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and he has served the Altus community in that capacity for more than 30 years.
In 2020, Gerrid was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives where his mantra is “make an impact, not an impression.” During his tenure, he has received the State Chamber of Oklahoma’s Rising Star Award, was selected to serve on the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development, and was appointed to the House Special Investigative Committee. Gerrid sees his position as State Representative for Oklahoma House 52, not only as a civic duty but also as God’s calling on his life.
Gerrid is very active in the community. He was a founding board member of Altus Christian Academy and served for many years. Gerrid has devoted his time and talents to numerous community organizations including Operation Care, Pathways, Kiwanis, and Rotary and he jokes that he was the proclaimed “Mayor of Safety Town.”
Gerrid is a member of First Baptist Church of Altus where he is a Deacon. Gerrid has taught Sunday School, worked with the widows, and served on the prayer ministry team at First Baptist Church. He also ministered to the youth for 15 years and taught basic life skills to the young men.
In his free time, Gerrid enjoys spending time with his family. Gerrid married his high school sweetheart, Cynthia, in 1987. The couple has three children, son Austin Kendrix and wife Jordan, his daughter Loren and husband Michael Tyson, and daughter Kristen Kendrix. They also have six grandchildren, Loren, Waylon, Maisyn, Langston, Hunter and Walker. Gerrid also enjoys the outdoors and cycling. Gerrid is so passionate about cycling that he started a local club with 25 members including wives and children.
Gerrid is a man who lives by faith and knows that he has been blessed with his family, his business, and his position representing southwest Oklahoma.