Elijah 'E.T.' Thomas Dunlap
Elijah 'E.T.' Thomas Dunlap
“E. T. Dunlap leaves his mark on universities as the state’s most powerful shaper of our higher education system.”
Biography
Oklahoma native Elijah Thomas “E. T.” Dunlap graduated from Red Oak High School and was educated at Eastern Oklahoma State College before receiving degrees from Oklahoma State University. He began his career in education as County Superintendent of Latimer County in 1938 and, in 1947, was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives where he chaired the House Education Committee and was principal author of the Oklahoma School Code. In 1951, he became president of Eastern Oklahoma State College and served as Chancellor from 1961 to 1982. At the national level, Dunlap served under President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the advisory committee concerned with the Student Loan program. In 1978, he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as chairman of the board of directors of the Student Loan Marketing Association. In 1982, Governor George Nigh appointed him a state commissioner on the Education Commission of the States.
Fun fact
During nearly 21 years on the job as Chancellor for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, 41 public and private schools throughout the state have honored E.T. Dunlap by placing his name on a campus building, street, or facility.
Oklahoma connections
Dunlap was born in Cravens, Oklahoma.