Oklahoma State Baseball Stadium Benefactor Cecil O'Brate has Died
(This story originated at Pokes Report and was written by publisher Robert Allen. It was contributed to by the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association and the Kansas Business Hall of Fame.)
STILLWATER – The man that gave the major donation and put his name on Oklahoma State’s new baseball stadium, one of the finest, if not the best, college baseball facilities in the nation has passed away. Cecil O’Brate was 95-years-old and the cause of death was not listed but could be considered natural causes. The news of O’Brate’s death came out on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 20).
O’Brate had been in declining health recently and living with his wife Frances. The two were inseparable and married for 75-years. They lived in Garden City, Kansas, but had made frequent trips back to Oklahoma and were often visible at Oklahoma State athletic events. The O’Brates had four sons; Patrick, Michael, Steve and Mark, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Cecil O’Brate had built a multi-dimensional corporation with construction, agrilculture and energy components. He was generally recognized as one of the most successful businessmen in Kansas and especially Western Kansas.
It was 2016 when O’Brate made the decision to be the major benefactor to the stadium that would bear his name on the campus where he did attend Oklahoma A&M in 1946-48. He did not graduate, but used what he had learned at the school to work his way through multiple industries in building a multi-million dollar fortune. The donation for the stadium was listed at $35-million and O’Brate Stadium was built.
O’Brate supported the financing of the stadium, but did not make the promised donation to pay the facility off. It was agreed between then athletic director Mike Holder and O’Brate that donation would come through his estate.
The stadium was built and opened on Feb. 24 2021 and then dedicated on May 20, 2021 when O’Brate’s good friend and the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush could attend and along with O’Brate throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
Cecil O’Brate was born in the depression on a farm outside of Enid, Okla. His goal was to attend then Oklahoma A&M and study agriculture. He worked his way through many jobs and then moved to Syracuse, Kan. to assist his grandparents in farming. He saved the money to attend Oklahoma A&M only to end up studying engineering
Cecil O’Brate attended Oklahoma A&M from 1946-48 and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from OSU in 2018. Two years into his college schooling he was given the opportunity to farm 3,000 acres alongside his grandfather and ultimately decided to put college aside.
After years as a farmer and rancher, O’Brate purchased Palmer Manufacturing and Tank Company. O’Brate purchased the company when it had only two employees and a few pieces of equipment, but he turned it into a business with millions of dollars in annual sales. After selling in 2013, O’Brate repurchased the company in 2018 and is still in the tank manufacturing business today.
In addition to owning Palmer, he began investing in oil and gas in 1984, which resulted in American Warrior, Inc., one of the largest independent oil and gas producers in the state of Kansas.
O’Brate has donated to numerous charities to help those less fortunate, often focusing on children, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boy and Girl Scouts, Youthville, Garden City USD 457, and Garden City Community College.
In recent years, the O’Brates had invested in hotels, restaurants, housing, and attractions in Garden City that helped grow the community and make it more of a hub for business and shopping between Wichita, Kans. to the south and Denver, Colo. to the north.
In 2018, O’Brate donated $35 million to OSU Athletics for the new baseball facilities that now bears his name.
A Celebration of Life service for O’Brate at the First United Methodist Church of Garden City, Kan. is pending.