“Vote early and vote often.” That’s what I heard this politician, known for his quick wit, urge his supporters to do in an early morning national television interview on Election Day, 1976. I didn’t know him at the time, but several months later, as I prepared to enter my first year of law school, he became my boss. Any guesses who it was? The answer is at the bottom.

    If you haven’t already voted, I hope you will do so. The polls are open until 7:00 Tuesday evening.

    What do you know about OCAST? The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology is the state agency responsible for technology development, transfer, and commercialization. Since its creation in 1987, OCAST has funded over 2,000 research projects and leveraged more than $3.5 billion. These projects, which have had a tremendous impact on Oklahoma, the nation and even the world, have ranged from the creation of an artillery testing simulation model and the study of transgenic virus-resistant wheat seed  to research of treatment of autoimmune diseases and development of an early detection blood test for pancreatic and lung cancers.

    Michael Carolina is the third executive director of OCAST. Before joining OCAST in August 2005, Carolina held management and executive positions with the Western Electric Company, AT&T and Lucent Technologies, where he worked for 25 years in the telecommunications industry.

    After his retirement from Lucent Technologies in 2001, he became an economic development consultant with the Oklahoma State University Center for Innovation and Economic Development Foundation.  He was also an adjunct professor in OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.

    Carolina earned his bachelor of science degree from Oklahoma State University and his master of science degree from the University of Oklahoma. He serves on the boards of directors for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, the Governor’s International Team, and the Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Advisory Committee.  He also serves on engineering advisory committees at Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Central Oklahoma.  He is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma City, Class XXVI.

    A native of Wewoka, Michael and his wife, Sharon, reside in Edmond.

    Please give a warm Rotary Club of Edmond welcome to Michael Carolina.

    Andy

    Answer: Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), for whom I had the privilege of working from 1977-1978. In 1976, he was the Republican Vice Presidential nominee.