VOC education

Lucious Selmon

Biography Former Claremore High School Assistant Football and Wrestling Coach and teacher of Current Events and United States History. He is the son of All American Lucious Selmon of the infamous Selmon brothers who played on the OU National Championship teams. Lucious was born…

FRANK MOBRA & JOHN SMITH

Long time Claremore Football Coaches Biography Frank Mobra and John Smith sit down for a lively walk down memory from their perspectives as legendary coaches for Claremore Public Schools. Frank Mobra was a man of character, integrity and one who did things the right way…

ALGER FLOOD

Claremore High School Coach and Educator Biography Born 1949 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma Alger Flood graduated from Okmulgee high school in 1967. He made All state in football and was selected as lineman of the year by the Tulsa world. Alger received a full scholarship to…

JOHN & JUNE SMITH

Claremore Coach and CPS employees; Long time First Baptist Church members Biography John Smith was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 11, 1932, to Ada Gazelle and John Hartley Smith. He and his mother moved to Claremore after his father’s passing when he was two.…

Wayne McCombs

Museum Director, Radio Broadcaster and Local Sports Historian Biography Wayne McCombs’ family moved to a farm south of Claremore in 1958. In the ninth grade he began working at the local radio station, KWPR. The station was a 500 watt, AM daytime station at the…

Tom Pool

A local educator whose love for history ultimately led him to serving in local government. Biography Tom Pool’s life in Claremore began with his family’s move here when he was in the fifth grade. He went on to graduate from Claremore High School where he…

Coach Bear Jensen

Claremore’s all time winningest football coach. Biography Lester "Bear" Jensen was born on September 29, 1924 in Weaubleau, MO to Loren and Veda Jensen. Bear graduated from Norman High School in 1945. During his time at Norman High, he played for the 1943 football state…

Gerome Riley

Hall of Fame Athlete, Business man and local Black historian Biography Gerome Riley was born October 18, 1934in Chelsea, Oklahoma to Sylvester and Georgie Riley. Gerome was reared and educated in Chelsea at Paul Lawrence Dunbar School through the 8th grade, prior to transferring to…

Keith Ballard

Grace, class, and dignity – those are three qualities this dedicated educator strove for each day as he battled through ALS at the end of his life. Dr. Keith Ballard’s education career started in Coweta, Oklahoma in 1972. Two years later Keith moved to Oologah,…