Oklahoma State baseball benefactor Cecil O'Brate passes away at 95
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State benefactor Cecil O'Brate died Saturday. He was 95.
O'Brate donated $35 million toward the construction of the Cowboys' baseball stadium, which was named in his honor and opened in 2021.
“Cecil O’Brate was a remarkable person, and I was blessed to know him,” OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg said in a release. “He was a fearless entrepreneur, a pioneer in business, a difference maker in his community and an extremely generous philanthropist that changed the lives of hundreds of underprivileged and orphaned youths by providing college educations, mentoring and support.
“Cecil was the ultimate game changer for the Cowboy Baseball program, our players, and fans alike, for generations to come. He lived by his creed of ‘Make It Happen,’ and that is exactly what he did every single day.
“He loved Oklahoma State University and would get emotional talking about this special place and the people here. We will miss him, and in his honor, we will continue to strive to ‘Make It Happen’ every single day.”
O'Brate was born in Enid in 1928 and attended OSU — then Oklahoma A&M — from 1946-48. he went on to become a self-made serial entrepreneur as the owner, developer and operator of multiple businesses, including agriculture, banking, manufacturing, energy, hospitality, real estate, alternative energy, medicine and food science.
He helped build American Warrior Inc., one of the largest independently owned oil and gas production companies in Kansas.
O'Brate and his wife, Frances, were more for more than 70 years and spent much of their lives in Garden City, Kansas.
They established the O'Brate Foundation in 2013, which helped provide more than $6 million in scholarships to more than 600 students who are graduates of the foster care system or those who come from households with income below poverty level.
- From staff reports
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State baseball benefactor Cecil O'Brate dies at 95
