Hall of Fame Member Biographies

James E. Hurley

James E. Hurley served as professor of Biology at Oklahoma Baptist University from 1962 to 1998. He became the chair of Biology and was known by his students as the “What is Life?” professor, encouraging them to find personal and biological answers to that important question. He received OBU’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1982, and the Meritorious Service Award in 1994. He established the Hurley Excellence Fund for science equipment, served as Faculty Marshall, and was faculty sponsor of student organizations. In 1998, the James E. Hurley Professorship in Biology was established by three hundred former students. Hurley was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2003. He died in 2004.