Boren, 83, who died surrounded by family, was also a fierce advocate for public education and a former president of the University of Oklahoma. His career in public service spanned from 1966, when he was elected to the state House, until his retirement from the University of Oklahoma in 2018. He was one of the last leading Democrats in Oklahoma before the state’s turn to the Republican Party.
As a “sign of respect,” Gov. Kevin Stitt ordered flags on all state property be flown at half-staff until Boren’s interment as a show of respect. He and his wife, Sarah, extended their condolences to Boren’s wife and family, saying that the former governor “dedicated his life to serving our state.”
Boren will be buried near his parents in Seminole in a private graveside event next week, said Bob Burke, a longtime friend. His family is working on a public memorial tribute, hopefully to be held in March.
He is survived by his wife of over 45 years, Molly Shi, and his two children from a previous marriage, Carrie Christine Boren, a minister, and David Daniel Boren, a former Oklahoma U.S. congressman.
House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, said she was saddened by the loss of Boren and lauded his contributions as a public servant, but also as a husband, father and grandfather.
Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said Boren had an “amazing legacy,” despite allegations of sexual misconduct toward the end of his life. In 2019, less than a year after retiring from OU, a former student accused Boren of inappropriately touching and kissing him while he was working in the university president’s office nearly a decade prior. Boren denied the allegations.
The university hired an international law firm to investigate allegations of sexual harassment of male employees, but very little about the investigation’s findings have been made public. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation also investigated, and no criminal charges were filed.
“I know some things were fraught at the end in terms of the reports on potential allegations and I think we have to take that seriously, I certainly trust victims in that case,” she said. “I don’t think that that overshadows what he did, firstly, in terms of the progress in higher ed and the work he did as a U.S. senator. … What a story of Okie success.”
Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Alicia Andrews said Boren’s “steadfast” pursuit of reform and progress created a profound and lasting impact on the state and called him a “transformational” leader.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said he will remember the former governor’s long history of service, and the shared stories Boren told him as a freshman lawmaker while visiting the Boyd House, the president’s official residence on OU’s campus.
“I remember his stories, talking about when he was a member of the House and fighting to make sure that there were reported votes in committees, and talking about one time a member thought a bill was going to fail on the House floor, so they let a rooster loose on the House floor,” he said. “And so just thinking about things like that happening today are fascinating, but those are the kind of stories that stick with you.”
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said Boren was someone who succeeded in every role he took on and said his death “will be noticed and his contributions to OU and the state are very well noted.”
“And, you know, that’s a situation where you look back on his career as a Democrat, and I’m Republican,” Paxton said. “That’s not how we look at this. We look at it as the things he had succeeded on through his career.”
Speaking on the House floor Thursday, Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, recalled his own memories of Boren.
He said Boren used to stand on top of his desk at the back of the House chamber during floor debates. He called Boren a “unique Oklahoman” who “did things most people only dream of doing.”
“I just wanted you to know that he wasn’t a perfect man, and neither am I, but he was a great Oklahoman and made a lot of difference,” Williams said. “And his contributions will live on for a lifetime and beyond. I just want to take a moment to say thanks to David Boren for the contributions he’s made to the great state of Oklahoma.”
Oklahoma Voice reporter Barbara Hoberock contributed to this story.
Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence.
