By Steve Byas

After a long and significant career in Oklahoma government, Neal McCaleb died on January 7 at the age of 89. In 1982, I was the media coordinator for McCaleb’s unsuccessful campaign for governor, as he lost the Republican primary contest to State Auditor Tom Daxon. This gave me the opportunity to get to know Neal on a personal level, as well as his accomplishments as a politician.

McCaleb was an airplane pilot, and we flew together to various campaign events. On one flight, it was just the two of us going through the skies of Oklahoma. A thought of concern suddenly hit me, and I asked him what would happen if he had a heart attack, passed out, or something. He laughed with that huge grin of his, and said, “Well, Steve, I guess you would have to quickly learn to fly a plane!”

Fortunately for both of us that never happened. But I often benefitted from his quick wit. One time, he told a potential voter that he was the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives (at the time the number of Republicans in the 101-member House was in the low-20s). The man looked perplexed, and asked, “Just how many Indians do they have out there at the Capitol?” He told that story repeatedly during the campaign. Neal was a proud member of the Chickasaw tribe, but he never gave any indication that he would ever favor his tribe’s interests over that of the state, but instead loved both.

McCaleb was a developer by trade, and got quite wealthy during the housing boom in Edmond in the 1970s. In 1974, he won election as a Republican from District 81 of Edmond, and he served until he ran for governor in 1982. In the House, he compiled a strong conservative voting record, and made the Top Conservatives list of the OKLAHOMA CONSTITUTION newspaper. After that defeat, he went back to his business, but later served in various positions in the executive branches of the state and federal governments.

McCaleb served as Secretary of Transportation under Gov. Henry Bellmon and Gov. Frank Keating. (1987-1991,1995-2001). He was also the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (1995-2001) and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (1995-2001). He was Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs from 2001-2003 during the administration of former President George W. Bush.

McCaleb and his wife, Georgann, were married for 69 years, which doesn’t surprise me, as his love for her and his family was always on display, as I had the good fortune to know her and other members of his family.