Damphousse Finds His Way to Oklahoma
It’s
a long way from Alberta, Canada, to Norman, Okla. Just
ask Kelly Damphousse, the College of Arts and Sciences’ new
Faculty Administrative Fellow. An associate professor
in the Department of Sociology, Damphousse joins the dean’s
staff for a year’s appointment.
Damphousse
attended Lethbridge Community College and earned an associate’s
degree in law enforcement after graduating from high school
in Lac La Biche, Canada. While waiting to be accepted into
the Canadian Mounties, he became a correctional officer. In
an effort to accelerate the acceptance process, he attended
an exchange program at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville,
Texas, and received his bachelor’s degree in criminal
justice.
While in Texas, he met a young lady who wanted to be married
to “anyone other than a Canadian or a police officer.” They
married and he took a position as security manager in Macy’s
department stores. Tired of the long days and working
weekends, his wife suggested he attend Texas A&M, where
her father was a professor. Laughing, Damphousse said, “They
must have had a bad pool of applicants; I was lucky enough
to be admitted to the program.” He eventually earned
his doctorate at Texas A&M in 1994.
Damphousse began his teaching career at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham, and then moved back to Sam Houston State
University. When his wife’s family planned on retiring
to the family farm in Tonkawa, the Damphousse family wanted
to be close to them. In 1997, he joined the faculty of
the Department of Sociology at OU.
Damphousse says he enjoys teaching and research, but has a
desire to learn more about the administrative side of the college. “When
I first got here, I was only aware of the activities going
on in my department,” he says. “Now I hear
about the digs going on with the Archeological Survey and the
new facility at the Biological Station and I think: Wow!
That’s us! We’re doing all of that.”
“I see administrative work as an obligation. It’s
a chance to give back to OU,” states Damphousse.
In response to the events on Sept. 11, 2001, Damphousse became
a U.S. citizen in 2002. The college is happy to have
such a dedicated citizen.
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