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Officials at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) are announcing that Representative Ben Loring will deliver the keynote address at this year’s commencement. The event is set for Thurs. May 9, at 7 p.m. at Red Robertson Field. In the event of rain, the ceremony will relocate to the Student Activity Center.
Representative Loring was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana and grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Oklahoma, where he also received a Juris Doctor. After practicing law and serving as the He practiced law in Miami, Oklahoma, where he served as the District Attorney from 1991 through 1999 and First Assistant from 2004 to 2014. In 2014, Representative Loring began his first term as the District 7 Representative in the Oklahoma Legislature.
Among his legislative experience, he has served on the Appropriations and Budget, County and Municipal Government, Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget, Judiciary, Medical Marijuana Working Group, and Public Safety committees. In 2018, Loring earned the Distinguished Service award from the Oklahoma State Regents for his work in supporting and promoting higher education.
He and his wife, Barbara raised two sons, David and Ian, both of whom served in the U.S. Army. The Lorings also purchased a small farm next to their home in Miami. Representative Loring still serves as a Boy Scout leader, and enjoys camping, canoeing, hiking, rappelling, and other outdoor adventures with his scouts.
“In 1919, the Miami School of Mines was founded through legislative action of the Oklahoma Legislature. One hundred years later it seems fitting that our local legislator, The Honorable Ben Loring, bring the Centennial year commencement remarks,” said Dr. Jeff Hale, NEO President. “Ben is one of the strongest advocates pressing for high quality rural education and has been an outstanding supporter of NEO. We are honored he has accepted our invitation to lead the 2019 graduation ceremony.”
The following list includes time and dates for NEO’s commencement activities:
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
- American Indian Center for Excellence (AICE) Pinning Ceremony – 4:00 p.m. in Kah-Ne Hall
Thursday, May 9, 2019
- Nurses Pinning Ceremony – 2:00 p.m. in the Fine Arts Auditorium
- Chimes Tower Ribbon Cutting – 5:00 p.m.
- NEO Commencement starts – 7 p.m. at Red Robertson Field
Friday, May 10, 2019
- Medical Lab Technician and Physical Therapist Assistant Pinning Ceremony – 7:00 p.m. in the Calcagno Family Ballroom
