Max Craighead
July 16, 2017
Max R. Craighead, 88, passed away on July 16, 2017, in Richardson, TX. He was born in Buffalo, OK, on March 4, 1929, to Ralph and Gussie Craighead. Following his graduation from high school in 1947, he attended Oklahoma Baptist University for two years, after which he enlisted in the US Air Force and served during the Korean Conflict. He and Donna Maree Ring were married on June 4, 1954, in Buffalo. They had three children, two of whom survive: daughter Melanie and son Todd, Follow his discharge from the Air Force, they lived in San Antonio, TX, for one year prior to his enrolling at Oklahoma A&M College in the fall of 1955. Following the completion of his bachelor’s degree in Forestry Management in 1958, Max was employed by Oklahoma State University as an Assistant Extension Forester, a career that lasted for 28 years. He later completed the master’s degree, after which he was promoted to Extension Forester and attained the rank of Professor of Forestry in the OSU Department of Forestry. Max was active in his church as well as in a number of professional societies and organizations. After he retired from OSU, he served two years as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Agricultural Chemical Association, and nine years as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Agricultural Aviation Association. In addition to being predeceased by his parents, Max was predeceased by an infant daughter and two sisters. He is survived by his wife, Donna, daughter Melanie and her husband Wes Moore, son Todd, and brother-in law Rex Wilkinson, as well as by two granddaughters.