Tulsa Cats leader was instrumental in launching the Oklahoma K-State license plate
On the roads of Oklahoma, Herb Whitney ’63 is easy to spot.
Whitney’s vehicles sport the Oklahoma K-State license plates numbered 0008, 0009 and 0010.
“We do get a lot of comments,” he said. “Because most of the other K-State plates have an all-white background, but ours is purple with white lettering and they're very, very distinctive.”
Whitney says the low numbers are luck of the draw, but he and several other K-Staters in the Tulsa area were instrumental in making the plates a reality. Whitney and a committee of K-Staters had been trying to get state-issued K-State plates for more than a decade, initially trying to work with the Oklahoma state legislature.
“There was always somebody in the legislature who did not want K-State to have an Oklahoma plate,” Whitney said. “So it never got through the legislative process.”
In 2020, they changed strategies and succeeded in 2022. Working with the Oklahoma Tax Commission they discovered a different path to getting their plates. A change in the rules allowed them to create a K-State plate if they could get 200 presales. A committee worked with the K-State Alumni Association to design a plate and spread the news in the hopes of hitting the presale requirements. Whitney and several others took to making phone calls, emails and canvassing to get the needed plate commitments. They accomplished that feat by May 2022 and got their plates later that year. $20 from the proceeds of each plate go back to the K-State Alumni Association to help fund scholarships.
“And as of a few months ago, we had raised over $12,000 for Oklahoma students attending K-State,” Whitney said. “It's been a big success.”
Whitney has been president of the Tulsa Cats Alumni Club since 2020. The club gathers regularly for social functions, K-State watch parties and even send care packages to Oklahoma students studying at K-State. Whitney has been involved with the club since its founding in the 1970s. Whitney said he enjoys the friendships and fellowship he has with the other members of the club because they keep him connected to the university in an area dominated by Sooners and Cowboys.
Whitney said he appreciates when he sees people dressed in purple and K-State attire in Tulsa. He often feels an instant connection with them.
He has also been highly involved with K-State in other areas including serving as a member of the Alumni Association’s board of directors. During his time with the board of directors, Whitney had the opportunity to serve as chair and helped oversee the move to the K-State Alumni Center.
“It was an amazing time to be involved with the Alumni Association,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to be the chair when we dedicated the Alumni Center. I've enjoyed my adventures with the Association.”
Herb and his wife, Mary Sue ’63, have stayed deeply involved with K-State and the Alumni Association. They are emeritus trustees of the KSU Foundation and have been involved in advisory councils in the College of Education and Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. The Whitneys have attended numerous Alumni Association events including Wabash CannonBall Houston, North Texas Boots and BBQ, various bowl trips and football pregame events. They’ve also been prolific supporters of the Alumni Association’s Traveling Wildcats program with more than 20 trips under their belt.
“When I meet new people, I encourage them to get involved with the Alumni Association, to buy a license plate if they don't have one, to go on a Traveling Wildcats trip if they can,” Whitney said. “It’s a great organization and you get so much from your membership.”
There are currently more than 13,000 plates on the road in Kansas, Maryland, Oklahoma and Texas combined. Learn more about the K-State License Plate program.