Edmond Champions of Character

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Longtime Edmond resident, Steve Wilson received the Character Council of Edmond's Champion of Character award for initiative on December 2nd. Character Council Vice President, Shermie Potts presented the certificate in an informal ceremony held at Vault 405. Steve’s friend, Robert Rowley, who nominated him for the honor, was present for the ceremony along with Steve's wife, Anita, Character Council President Diane Krakowski and board member, Jim Hulsey.

Steve was a Naval Aviator who served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years of active duty & 14 years in the Naval Reserves. He retired with the rank of Navy Captain (O-6) January 1, 2008. He and Anita have been married for 46 years and lived in Edmond since Steve left active duty in 1979. They raised three daughters who graduated from Edmond High Schools.

Steve said, “A person who exemplifies initiative is a person who sees what needs to be done and does it without someone asking.” He learned initiative through the example of others and his own experiences.

Steve spent a lot of time with his maternal grandparents while his dad was in the Army. They both were resourceful. One day when Steve was in the First Grade, he came home from school crying because he couldn't read. He didn't even know the alphabet. His grandparents didn't have a car at the time. So, his grandmother walked downtown and bought alphabet blocks. She used the blocks to work on spelling and teach him to read. His grandfather was a remarkable man and a great role model, as well.

Steve's father served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and inspired him at a young age to dream of becoming a Navy pilot. Steve joined the Naval Reserves when he was 17 years old. To become a Navy pilot, he had to obtain a college degree and become a Naval Officer. So, he attended Oklahoma State University earning an associate’s degree in Fire Protection Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Education before setting off for Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fl. 

Steve said, “Initiative is something that was latent within me.” His experiences as a Navy pilot provided opportunities that brought out his initiative. When a pilot encounters a problem, they must act quickly to meet the challenge. One of the things flight students learned was that when things went wrong, they had to first and foremost “fly the plane.”

That ingrained training came to the forefront during the time Steve's squadron was deployed overseas. After taking off and climbing out in bad weather, every flight instrument on the instrument panel failed, except for a small attitude indicator powered from the battery. Nothing else was operating properly except for the radios. He contacted departure control. They determined it was too bad to go return to where he had just left. Steve said, “I was flying the airplane.” He started thinking about where he could land safely. He thought he might be able to reach another nearby airbase. So, he asked air control if it would be suitable. Steve said, “That's initiative.”

In 2003 Steve began teaching an adult Sunday school class. He soon discovered how little he knew of the Bible. If he was going to teach others, he needed to learn more. A friend invited him to come to Bible Study Fellowship and he started attending. Both Steve and Anita became leaders and 22 years later they are still involved. Taking that step to gain a deeper understanding of the Bible helped him not only make a difference in the lives of others, but also his own life.

Robert saw Steve's initiative as they served together volunteering for ministries throughout the years. Robert said, “From the selflessness of his heart, Steve came with donuts religiously to patrons. And even before that, he was supplying the Elders with a portion of what he’d buy with his own donations every time!”

Steve said, “I like to do things. If I see someone broken down on the road, I like to pull over and see if I can help.” He noticed that they served only a few different breakfasts at Breakfast on Boulevard. So, to the delight of the breakfast crowd and the elders of the church he provided donuts.

Steve said, “When I go into Walmart Super Center and I’m shopping with my wife. I'm not looking at the shelf. I know where I’m going. I’m looking at people’s faces. I’m really looking to make eye contact with someone. I really look for that and then to say something to them and make the connection.

It’s the same thing with Breakfast on Boulevard. I love volunteering and being there. I made PBJs and meat and cheese sandwiches for sack lunches. My joy came from the interaction with the people. Talking to them. Getting to know and finding out what their lives were like and encouraging them.”

The Character Council is a grassroots, nonprofit organization committed to creating a citywide initiative to build Edmond into a "Community of Character." 

Pictured: Steve Wilson

Please complete the form located on our website to recognize an EDMOND citizen for a specific character trait. Forms may be submitted from the website or mailed to the 

Character Council of Edmond 

Champions of Character

PO Box 392 

Edmond, OK 73083-0392.

or contact: Gloria Baumann (405) 317-9089    Gloria_Baumann@outlook.com  

Champions of Character Honorees

2014 to Present:

• Robert Launhardt Forgiveness June, 2025
• Dena Jones Diligence January, 2025
• Tyler Shaw Trustworthiness December, 2024
• Jennifer Thornton Thoroughness October, 2024
• Linda de la Garza Loyalty August, 2024
• Amanda Jenson Positivity February, 2024
• Perry Sneed Dependability November, 2023
• Irene Liang   Punctuality October, 2023
• Jeff Morefield Courage July, 2023
• Shaun Pryor Flexibility June 2023
• Diana Pate Generosity April, 2023
• Jim Hulsey Enthusiasm March, 2023
• Carol Anderson Orderliness September, 2022
• Susan Isaacs Patience June, 2022
• Stephanie Carel Creativity April, 2022
• Salvador Garcia Trustworthiness March, 2022
• Beth Conner Diligence March, 2022
• Darrell Davis Respect January, 2022
• Judy Pike Thoroughness December, 2021
• Gary Wallace Loyalty September, 2021
• Sondra Reid Availability August, 2021
• Becky Crow Honesty March 2021
• Justin Rowley Positivity February, 2021
• Laura Liles Resilience December, 2020
• Pete Reeser  Courage December, 2020
• Amy Stephens Dependability  December, 2020
• Michelle Schaefer Discipline June, 2020
• Dick Opalka Generosity February, 2019
• Yara Ford  Attentiveness  March, 2019
• Chrislyn Sperry  Respect   January, 2019
• Kathryn Olds Persuasiveness  November, 2018
• Jill Castilla  Creativity  September, 2018
• Maureen Coury Compassion  January, 2018
• KC Williams Dependability October, 2017
• David Ford  Humility  July, 2017
• Steve Bowlware Enthusiasm, March, 2017
• Laura McGee Truthfulness, April,  2017  
• Richard Killgore  Generosity  February, 2017
• Peggy Geib Gratefulness  January, 2017 
• Dustin & Erikka Ault  Initiative  January, 2017
• Chris Waugh  Initiative  January, 2017 
• Nathan Walters  Orderliness  November, 2016 
• Kris Rush  Diligence  March, 2016 
• Jason Henley Compassion  January, 2016 
• Ray Vaughn Dependability  August, 2015 
• Jean Holt  Sensitivity  April, 2015 
• Brian Maughan  Availability  April, 2015 
• Chris Shorow  Joyfulness  October, 2014 
• Virginia Peters  Endurance  September, 2014 
• Bea Sprouse  Discretion  August, 2014 
• Krista Law  Creativity  July, 2014 
• Cora Stamps  Initiative  January, 2014