Keplinger Hall, which opened its doors on TU’s campus in 1983, stands as a testament to Charles “Henry” Keplinger’s remarkable career in the energy industry as a leader and world-renowned consultant. While he was based in Tulsa for most of his life, he traveled all over the world as an energy consultant, advising his clients, which included oil and gas companies, banks, investment firms, and governments.
Keplinger graduated from The University of Tulsa in 1931 with a degree in physics and went to work as a roughneck in west Texas, a stint he valued deeply for the rest of his life for the lessons it taught him. In 1933, he joined Shell Oil Company as an engineer and quickly rose in the management ranks before starting his own consulting firm in 1944 – Keplinger and Associates, Inc. His son, H. F. “Kep” Keplinger (TU MS ’65), joined the firm in 1962.
Henry Keplinger and his wife, Louise Spang Keplinger, were proud supporters of The University of Tulsa, and he was named a TU Distinguished Alumnus in 1973. In 1980, he was named Oil Man of the Year by the Energy Consumers and Producers Association.
After Mr. Keplinger passed away in 1981, Louise Keplinger and her family continued to generously support the Keplinger Hall Fund at The University of Tulsa. Louise Keplinger passed away in 2003, leaving a large testamentary gift to establish The Louise Spang Keplinger Endowment for Technology Enhancement in Keplinger Hall. Earnings from this endowment were designated to update technology for the building that houses the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences.
In 2013, Henry and Louise Keplinger’s daughter, Karen Keplinger Mildren (TU BS ’66), renamed the endowment after both of her parents: The Louise and Henry Keplinger Endowment Fund for Keplinger Hall. She also amended the original resolution to allow TU to use the annually distributed income from the endowment for any purpose that improves facilities at Keplinger Hall, including, but not limited to, technology enhancements. Karen Keplinger Mildren has been a steadfast and loyal donor to this endowment for many years, and she made a large gift to support the current renovation of Keplinger Hall, naming the Henry and Louise Keplinger Reception Area in the Dean’s Office of the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences after her parents.
In 2016, Karen Keplinger Mildren gifted mineral interests to TU, which became part of the family’s namesake endowment fund.
The University of Tulsa community is deeply grateful to the entire Keplinger family for their remarkable legacy of support for TU’s engineering and science programs.
