Lifetime Volunteer: Mex Frates

How fortunate for Oklahoma in general, and Oklahoma City in particular, that W.J. Rodman did not go through with his plan to move his family from Moweaqua, Illinois, to Mexico. How strong this desire to move is evidenced in the name he gave his first and only child, a daughter. He named her Mex, and, in her teens, gave her the choice of selecting a different name. She chose to keep the name Mex, a unique name which turned out to be a perfect fit for the unique woman she grew up to be. Instead of Mexico, the Rodman family settled in Oklahoma City where Mex attended public schools, and early on, showed sign of a leadership quality that was to stand her and Oklahoma City in good stead the rest of her life. From president of her senior class at Central High School to president of Phi Beta Kappa and her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta at the University Of Oklahoma, Mex was recognized as a leader. Encouraged to read at an early age by her mother and hearing leadership and business ethics from her father; Mex became a role model for her contemporaries. Along the way, she had fun attending parties, participating in school functions and taking trips. After Graduation, she joined service organization such as the Junior League of Oklahoma City and rose to national office in the prestigious women's group. This activity led her to know her community and its recourses - or lack of them in some areas. A young woman-about-town, she met the love of her life, insurance man Clifford L. Frates, not only a successful businessman but a top-notch polo player on championship teams. They married an had two sons, Rodman, who also entered the insurance business, and Kent, who became an attorney and author. Like mother, like sons, they became community and state leaders. And most important, they gave her six grandchildren. For more than 70 years, Mex Rodman Frates has contributed financially and personally to projects and organizations that have made the quality of life better for Oklahoma Cityans. She has many "firsts" in her life. She built a church. She moved a hospital to a new location. She has volunteered her time and efforts for every major philantropic, cultural, educational and civic cause in Oklahoma City. She has been a leader in all of these efforts and has been called the ultimate volunteer. Readers of this book will understand her commitments and learn of the organization in which she believes.