Odilia Mary Russo Dank (September 3, 1938 – August 17, 2013) was an American educator and politician from

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

who served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...

, from District 85. Dank was elected in 1994 and served until she was term limited in 2006.

Early life

Odilia Mary Russo Dank was born in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

to parents Dr. Peter and Dr. Magdalene Russo. The family moved to Oklahoma when she was two years old. Dank and her family lived at Lake Aluma Chulosa, a small township on the northeast side of

. Her father worked as a

radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiatio ...

and her mother worked as a dentist prior to marriage. Dank graduated from Casady High School in Oklahoma City.

Education and career

Thereafter, Dank earned a bachelor's degree in 1960 from

Randolph-Macon Woman's College Randolph College is a private liberal arts and sciences college in Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman's College, it was renamed on July 1, 2007, when it became coeducational. The college offers 32 majors; 42 minors; � ...

in Lynchburg,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. In 1974, she received a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

degree from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

. Dank worked in the Oklahoma City public school system for 20 years as an educator and counselor; for 12 years, she was a counselor at

Del City High School Del City High School is the only public high school located in Del City, Oklahoma, U.S., and one of three high schools in the Mid-Del School District. The school opened in 1953. According to GreatSchools.org, the high school is rated above Midwes ...

. Her first teaching job in southwest Oklahoma City was teaching government and Oklahoma history. On the weekends, Dank and a fellow teacher would travel around the state which in turn resulted in her interest in politics.

Oklahoma House of Representatives (1994–2006)

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...

vacated her House seat in order to run for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

and Dank decided to campaign for the vacancy. Dank was elected to represent District 85 in the

in 1994 and served until 2006 when her husband,

David Dank David Michael Dank (July 14, 1938 – April 10, 2015) was a Republican member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the Nichols Hills section of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He held this position from 2007 until his death, succeeding his te ...

, ran and succeeded her. During her time in office she was appointed chairman of the Education Committee, the first woman in that position. She also served two terms as vice chairman of the

Oklahoma Republican Party The Oklahoma Republican Party is the Oklahoma state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party (GOP). Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state. It is currently the dominan ...

Committees

*Chair of the Common Education Committee *House Appropriation sub-committee on Education *Rules, and Revenue and Taxation committee *Children and Family committee

Awards and achievements

Dank received several awards and recognition for her work in the legislature, including: *Pioneering Spirit Award by the Oklahoma Charter Association *REID's legislative excellence award (2004) *Casady Alumni Achievement Award (2001) *Oklahoma State Chamber's Outstanding Legislator Award (1999) *Distinguished Service Award from the Mid-Del City schools for outstanding performance and dedicated service (1989)

Death

Dank died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on August 17, 2013 in Oklahoma City.

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Dank's predecessor in the state House, issued an executive order on August 19 directing that all flags on state property be flown at half-staff in Dank's honor from August 23–26.

References

External links

Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project – OSU Library
1938 births 2013 deaths Politicians from Cleveland Randolph College alumni University of Oklahoma alumni Women state legislators in Oklahoma Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Politicians from Oklahoma City Deaths from cancer in Oklahoma 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Educators from Ohio American women educators {{Oklahoma-politician-stub