Loftis to be inducted into Blackwell School Hall of Fame

Mike Loftis will be honored at the Blackwell School Foundation’s annual banquet as he is inducted into the School Foundation’s Hall of Fame on Thursday March 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the Kay Room on Doolin.

Loftis is described as a boy whose lifelong passion for music began when his mother forced him to start playing the trombone. Mike Loftis, CEO of Loftis & Wetzel Insurance, is described by the Foundation as a community leader in areas from energy to health care, and a tireless education advocate.

Before there was a champion for education, an outstanding businessman, and a community advocate, there was a boy whose music career lasted from Blackwell public schools through two years of college. Loftis, a 1972 graduate of Blackwell High School, found that his love of sports transitioned to music in junior high when his classmates grew, and he didn’t.

“In high school, I went to Memphis on a band trip when I didn’t even know how to read music,” Loftis said. It wasn’t long before he was in the stage band and ultimately the All-State stage band and BHS drum major.

Music continued to be a big part of his college life at Northern Oklahoma College where he was a Roustabout, the college performance group. He joined a rock band, Pure Grain, that played local dates and even went on the road after his first year of college.

“We slept in our vehicles and played every kind of venue you can imagine. After that experience I knew I needed another profession besides music,” Loftis said.

He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1976. His insurance career began in Blackwell with his father in Don Loftis Insurance Agency. Mike purchased the business which transitioned to Loftis Insurance in 1982. A merger created Loftis & Wetzel Insurance in 2002. The business has grown to four locations, Blackwell, Ponca City, Stillwater, and Edmond, employing 40 people.

In 2012, as a partner in L&S Energy, Mike persuaded OSU to purchase wind power from Kay County’s first wind farm. Since then, there have been multiple projects in north central Oklahoma generating renewable energy, jobs, and royalty income to landowners.

His business successes have been matched by his determination to improve his community.

He was part of the formation of the Blackwell Public School Foundation, one of the best-funded foundations in the state. It gives out thousands of dollars to school personnel every semester to augment student success. As a trustee/officer of the Blackwell Hospital Trust Authority, he oversaw the construction financing of a new $20,000,000 Blackwell hospital. He is a long-term Trustee of the Blackwell Public Trust, Blackwell Industrial Authority, and Blackwell Economic Development Authority.

His talent and energy have also focused on NOC, serving as a member of their foundation since 1996.

Their assets have grown from $425,000 to $14 million.

He was inducted into the NOC Hall of Fame in 2016.

In 2023, he was appointed to the NOC Board of Regents. “The college in Tonkawa is a jewel,” he said. To ensure that BHS students can take concurrent classes at NOC, Mike and Kim Loftis have established Loftis Access to Success for Blackwell High School concurrent students.

This scholarship allows Blackwell students, with financial needs, to receive college credit in their junior and senior years completely debt-free. NOC has utilized the Loftis scholarship model to encourage donors to establish similar scholarships in their communities.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are on sale at Blackwell Banks, the Blackwell Central Education Office, and the Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are $25 each.

The dinner begins at 6:30 pm.