Hall of Fame Member Biographies

L. Lee Manzer

Higher education hopes to touch the lives of young people, give them guidance, and bestow upon them the tools that will enable them to fully realize their potential; few professors in Oklahoma have succeeded so well in this goal as has L. Lee Manzer of Oklahoma State University. Lee Manzer earned a B.A. in chemistry from Oklahoma State University in 1965; he obtained an MBA from the school in 1966 and after a few years in private enterprise was awarded a Ph.D. in Marketing in 1974 from Oklahoma State University. For two years he was assistant professor at Memphis State University but returned to OSU in 1975 and has been there ever since. Lee Manzer published numerous articles, but from the start it was clear that his strength was in instructing students and in advising organizations and businesses. Over his stay of 35 years, he has been given 14 undergraduate teaching awards, has four times received the Spears School of Business outstanding teacher, and has four times been named the university-wide instructor of the year. Lee Manzer has unstintingly given of his time and knowledge to student, nonprofit, and profit organizations; he has presented service quality, goal setting, and leadership material to over 500 organizations, including Chesapeake, Koch, ONEOK, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, Lopez Foods, Farm Credit Bank, BancFirst, Sonic and Indian Health Service. He is a nationally sought after speaker. For his efforts in reaching and teaching over 25,000 students and providing expertise to the public in outreach programs, L. Lee Manzer has brought glory to the state of Oklahoma and to higher education. We are honored to induct L. Lee Manzer this year into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.