Neal McCaleb was remembered Thursday as an advocate for Native Americans, a public servant and powerful force for improving Oklahoma’s highways and turnpikes.
Services for McCaleb, who died Tuesday at the age of 89, are set for 2 p.m. Jan. 16 at Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond.
McCaleb was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1974 and was House minority leader during George Nigh’s first full term as governor.
Nigh said Thursday that McCaleb was a leader who had a passion for OKlahoma and didn’t let political differences get in the way of doing what was best for his state.
“He was an example of someone who very much wanted to help other people,” Nigh said. “It wasn’t just about him being in office — he wanted to be a servant.”
Neal McCaleb was Oklahoma’s first transportation secretary
After an unsuccessful run for governor in 1982, McCaleb retired from the state Legislature and was then appointed by Gov. Henry Bellmon to oversee the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and serve as the state’s first transportation secretary.
When Bellmon’s term as governor ended in 1991, McCaleb became the president of the Oklahoma Good Roads and Transportation Association, a group that lobbied for highway funding.
He was then appointed by Gov. Frank Keating in 1995 to again serve as transportation secretary and director of the state Transportation Department in addition to overseeing the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
During his time in those positions under Bellmon and Keating, McCaleb launched an ambitious road-building program that included reconstruction of Interstate 35 and Broadway Extension and the relocation of Interstate 40 south of downtown.
As transportation secretary under Bellmon, he helped guide the $385.4 million construction of the Cherokee Turnpike and the first sections of the Kilpatrick, Creek and Chickasaw turnpikes.
During his second stint under Keating, construction started on extensions of the Kilpatrick and H.E. Bailey turnpikes.
More: Guest column: As OKC grows, turnpikes become necessary to fight traffic congestion
Transportation Department Director Tim Gatz and Turnpike Director Joe Echelle released a joint statement praising McCaleb’s legacy, saying he left the state’s highway network “forever changed for the better.”
“Spanning three decades, he applied his extensive knowledge to shaping Oklahoma’s highways, interstates and turnpikes, following the legacy of his father, Burt, who served as ODOT Chief Engineer,” Gatz and Echelle said.
“McCaleb was instrumental in the development of the Capital Improvement Program, known as the Billion Dollar Road Program for the improvement of state highways having been allocated funding from the governor and Legislature in 1997 and 1998 and oversaw bringing Amtrak passenger rail service back to Oklahoma,” They added. “He expanded turnpike mileage with the John Kilpatrick Turnpike in Oklahoma City, Creek Turnpike in Tulsa and Chickasaw Turnpike near Ada/Sulphur; and developed advanced electronic toll collection using the PIKEPASS system; among many other accomplishments.”
McCaleb left Oklahoma in 2001 when he was appointed assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs by President George W. Bush. He served in that position through 2002, at which time he was named an adviser to Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby. In that role, he was tasked with developing long-term economic development plans.
“Neal dedicated his life to serving others,” Anoatubby said. “As U.S. assistant secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, Oklahoma secretary of transportation, an Oklahoma state representative and serving multiple roles in the Chickasaw Nation, most recently as ambassador-at-large, Neal’s legacy of service has impacted countless lives across the United States.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Neal McCaleb, who oversaw highway, turnpike expansions, dead at 89