David L. Boren was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1966. At the time he was a 25 year old Yale graduate and Rhodes Scholar. He was still two years away from earning his law degree at the University of Oklahoma. Despite his academic chops he was little known out side of his district. In fact, his only somewhat minor claim to fame those days was his marriage to Janna Lou Little, the daughter of Reuel Little.
Reuel Little was a big shot in what was known as the American party. It is a now defunct outfit whose main purpose was to serve as a platform for the wildly racist, George Wallace who ran for president in 1968. Janna's Dad was the American party's candidate for governor in 1970. He won only 3.4% of the vote, which doesn't sound like a whole lot until you realize the republican incumbent, Dewey Bartlett, lost the governor's mansion to a democrat by 0.3%.
However we digress. In 1975 three things happened in Brother Dave's life. First, he decided to run for governor. Second, his marriage to Janna Lou began falling apart. Third, a minor league primary opponent accused him of being gay.
He won the governorship, but the rumors regarding his sexuality continued to circulate. They normally went like this: I know a guy who works at a restaurant and he says Boren has one of his people come in sometimes to hit up the gay waiters for him. As usual when it comes to things like this, there were never any names mentioned, other than David L. Boren's and there was no proof. Everything was based on the word of some guy who worked in an unidentified restaurant somewhere in Oklahoma City.
The rumors, rather than drying up intensified enough that Governor Boren, who by then was eyeing a run for the U.S. Senate, went on statewide TV, placed his right hand on a family bible and swore, "I know what homosexuals and bisexuals are. I further swear that I am not a homosexual or bisexual. And I further swear that I have never been a homosexual, or bisexual."
In 1977, Boren, who had divorced Little a year before, married Pontotoc County Special District Judge, Molly Shi. Before going into a long hibernation the rumor mill kicked out one more speculation. Boren and Shi's marriage, it said, was one of political convenience. It was a sham union meant to hide his taste for men and hers for women. If that was the case it has worked well for both of them. This November they will celebrate their 42nd anniversary.
To make a long story short, David Boren did become a United States Senator in January, 1979. He held the seat until he resigned in 1994 to become the president of the University of Oklahoma. He spent the next 24 years at OU. During his tenure donations came pouring in, the school's academic standing improved, and most importantly to many, he hired the right football coaches.
Boren retired from the presidency last June. His successor was a former corporate honcho named James Gallogly. Within weeks Gallogly was telling the press the university's financial affairs were a nightmare of debt because of runaway expenditures during Boren's watch. The former president responded to the charges with an op-ed piece in OKC's daily paper, "The Oklahoman," which basically said, Gallogly was full of shit.
According to Boren's lawyer, Gallogly then sent an OU vice president to his house with a message, saying, "I am the meanest son of a bitch you've ever seen and if you ever cross me again I'll destroy you."
Then things got ugly.
Last November the OU Board of Regents, at Gallogly's direction, hired a law firm to investigate Boren. According to scuttlebutt floating around campus he had made sexual advances to a teaching assistant, Jess Eddy during a 2010 fund raising trip. Eddy was interviewed by the law firm in February and initially denied Boren had done anything.
In early March, Mr. Eddy, seeing an apparent opportunity for some quick cash, called Boren at home, asking him for compensation for an act he had just said didn't occur. In some quarters such a request could be interpreted as blackmail, but these days, as we've seen, the lines between what is legal and what isn't are a tad blurred. Boren refused. Later in the month, during a second interview, Eddy switched his story, claiming Boren had kissed him on the cheek and neck while grabbing his ass in a Houston hotel room.
The Oklahoman's crack investigative team contends the law firm, Jones Day, issued a report to the regents saying five other individuals have similar stories to Eddy's second version of events. The report has not been released to the public, the media, or even to Boren's lawyers. The other alleged victims remain anonymous. However, The Oklahoman also reports the allegations have been turned over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to see if any criminal charges are warranted.
Yesterday, Boren threw up his hands and cut all ties with OU. He gave up a part time teaching position, the title of President Emeritus, his free football tickets, parking space, and office, among other things. He still maintains his complete innocence. His attorney told The Oklahoman, "President Boren felt that it's best for the university right now to step away."
He isn't the only one. Last month, James Gallogly, the self proclaimed, "meanest son of bitch you've ever seen," resigned after less than a year on the job. He told media representatives he quit because running OU was much tougher than he thought it would be.
Yes, sometimes things are far more complicated than they appear, especially when it comes to higher education. Just ask the current resident of the White House about that whole Trump University thing.
Not to mention, David Lyle Boren and some nameless guy who works at a restaurant somewhere in Oklahoma City.
sic vita est
6-13-19
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