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While Phil DeLozier watched the Cowgirl soccer team defeat the Sooners on Oct. 23, his heart swelled with pride. But it wasn’t just his daughter, Elizabeth, a midfielder for the Big 12 Tournament champion Cowgirls, that served as a reminder of how proud he was of his family.
Tributes and reminders reside everywhere in Stillwater — Bennett Hall, Bennett Memorial Chapel, Bennett Drive.
Phil DeLozier and his daughter, Elizabeth DeLozier, are descendants of one of OSU’s most prominent presidents: Henry G. Bennett.
Coach Colin Carmichael said DeLozier’s characteristics on and off the soccer field must be consistent with those of her influential great-grandfather.
“Elizabeth is that vocal leader,” Carmichael said. “She motivates everyone with her encouragement.”
Bennett was also a motivator and leader, for he was the driving force in building the first major structures at OSU, a necessary part to his vision of expansion, including the Student Union, Edmon Low Library and the Classroom Building.
“It really humbles me to know I am attending a college that my great-grandfather was president of,” DeLozier said. “Knowing who he was, and how much of an impact he made on this college, and the world, inspires me every day in the classroom and on the soccer field to believe I can achieve anything I set my mind to.”
Bennett was the president of Oklahoma A&M from 1928 to 1951. Phil DeLozier, Bennett’s grandson, said his grandfather was a man with a great vision for the future of the university.
“It was his biggest dream to have three things,” Phil DeLozier, a national champion golfer in 1976 at OSU, said. “He wanted classrooms, a library and a place for students to meet.”
He said the placement of the Bennett statue in front of Whitehurst is significant, for the graduating class of 1940 that donated the statue wanted to honor his vision by having his likeness looking over the buildings he was responsible for creating.
Elizabeth DeLozier said she reflects on her family’s history each time she passes the statue.
“The first thing I think of is my grandmother,” DeLozier said. “When I was in middle school, she died and we had a family reunion at OSU to spread her ashes over her father’s statue. Seeing his statue every day on my way to class reminds me how honored I am to be a DeLozier and how blessed I am.”
Bennett’s tenure as president was the longest in university history up to that point and came at a time when his consistency and vision was needed: the Great Depression.
Phil DeLozier said Bennett was always willing to assist a student in need, helping students find jobs and even providing housing for students who had none.
“In his home, they had students living in the basement who couldn’t afford to get a dormitory or an apartment,” Phil DeLozier said. “My grandparents had good hearts and were trying to help the students realize their dreams, and at a time that was very dark economically for so many people.”
Bennett’s impact didn’t stop at OSU and Stillwater.
In 1950, President Harry Truman appointed Bennett as Assistant Secretary of State to head the Point Four Program, a program designed to give aid to underdeveloped countries.
While still honoring his role as president, Bennett and his wife died in a plane crash in Iran while on duty for the Point Four Program.
Phil DeLozier said his grandfather’s death was not only devastating for his family but also the university.
“Losing a parent is very, very hard,” Phil DeLozier said. “I think he had planned to be back here on campus and continuing in his role until his retirement as president of the university.”
Phil DeLozier said it is regretful he was unable to know his grandfather and it was a shame to not meet the man who was not only a part of his family but a part of something larger.
“It’s hard to put into words the pride you take in any loved one that is somebody that is thought so well of,” Phil DeLozier said. “It has encouraged our entire family to be contributors in whatever our chosen work is, and to try and be the kind of people that Dr. and Mrs. Bennett were. I think Elizabeth takes a lot of pride in being part of the team and tries to contribute where she can.”
Elizabeth said she, too, would have loved to have known her great-grandfather.
“I know he was a great man, full of compassion and pride,” Elizabeth DeLozier said. “I know he would love coming to all of the sporting events at OSU, especially soccer since his great-granddaughter plays, that’s me.”
Elizabeth said there was never a doubt in her mind she wanted to attend OSU and continue her family’s legacy.
“I have always wanted to come here since I was in middle school,” Elizabeth DeLozier said. “When I was younger, my dad and I used to come up on random weekends when I did not have club soccer games. I had the best time, just driving around and listening to him tell me stories about growing up here. A lot of people would think we were crazy, picking Stillwater for a vacation spot, but I never would have thought twice about it.”
Carmichael said DeLozier’s ability to motivate and stay positive plays a vital role apart from her soccer abilities.
Phil DeLozier said he knows Bennett would be proud if he looked down and saw DeLozier attending OSU as a student as well as an athlete. He said he would be even more proud to see the success of the OSU women’s soccer team, for they are heading to the NCAA tournament.
“I think he would have a big smile on his face,” Phil DeLozier said.
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