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Jewel joined the Army during World War II and served in North Africa and Italy war campaigns. When the war ended, he joined the Oklahoma National Guard 45th Division and was soon to be mobilized to Japan as part of the occupying force and then entered the Korean conflict until that war ended. He retired from the Oklahoma National Guard after 20 years of service with the rank of Major.
Jewel and his wife, Mary moved to Enid in 1949 to begin their teaching careers. He taught at Enid High School teaching Mechanical Drawing and Distributive Education (DE). He was a sponsor to the Photography Club and coached Track and Field as additional duties. During the summer, he was involved with the Parks and Recreation Association teaching the youth sports skills such as archery, making sure that all youth in the program learned to be good citizens and leaders among their peers. As a skilled wood craftsman, he would often make furniture for families in need or as requested.
Jewel could see the potential in each student he taught. One such student was named Harold Hamm. He required that each student write a final paper describing the intricacies and understanding of the work the student had performed throughout the semester. When Harold turned in his final paper, Jewel returned it to Harold with instructions to do further research and have an in-depth understanding of the oil drilling process and to rewrite the paper. In 2008, when Jewel passed away, Harold asked the family if he could speak at Jewel’s funeral service. He wanted to pay his deepest respects to the man that helped shape his future success as a person and as a successful oil producer. Harold stated that if it was not for Jewel, he would not be the man he became.
He was foremost community leader and was a member of the Oklahoma Education Association and National Education Association, ensuring that Enid and the State of Oklahoma had a voice in the future of education. Additionally, he was a member of Masonic Lodge 80 and was a 32nd Degree Mason. Jewel served the First United Methodist Church as President of the Board of Trustees, served as a member of the Administrative Board, and taught Sunday School. He was a member of the Enid Noon Lion’s Club and served as President. During the early 1950’s, when segregation was prominent in Enid, a new teacher was hired to teach at Enid High School. This new teacher was of African-American decent. Jewel, against the most popular beliefs of the time, invited this new teacher into his home for tea and dinner. His family dressed in their best clothes to welcome the new teacher into their home. It was as a gesture of warmth, and kindness, and to show how welcome the new teacher was to Enid’s education community. There was no color in Jewel’s eyes, only character and integrity existed in his world.
His most notable contribution was as the founder and creator of Vocational and Technical Education for Enid and for the State of Oklahoma.
The journey of vocational education began while serving in the Korean War with his Commanding General O.T. Autry who was also a teacher in the Enid School System. While in a fox hole with General Autry during the Korean War, he discussed his concept of an alternative educational program. His vision was to offer vocational and technical training to students that would afford them the opportunity to learn a set of skills that would better meet their educational and occupational needs.
After the Korean War, Jewel returned to the classroom. He taught Mechanical Drawing and Distributive Education (DE) and was a sponsor for the track team and the photography team at Enid High School. In 1964, Jewel became the principal of Waller Junior High School. During this time, he developed his curriculum and prepared his proposal to move forward with his concept of a vocational and technical center. Jewel worked with Senator Norman Lamb to take his plan through the Oklahoma State Legislature for funding appropriations. Next came the building design. Jewel was a skilled draftsman and drew the plans for the vocational and technical school, which at that time, was state of the art in design and function.
In 1965, the groundbreaking began, and his vision came to fruition in 1966 when the first vocational and technical center was opened. It was recommended that the new education center be named the Jewel Ridge Vocational and Technical Center; however, he declined and requested it to be named after O.T. Autry, who was the Superintendent of Enid Public Schools. Jewel was named the Superintendent of O.T. Autry Vocational and Technical Center and remained in this role until his retirement in 1986.
Jewel’s curriculum included License Practical Nursing, IBM Keypunch, Culinary Arts, Diesel Mechanics, Farm Machinery Repair, Aircraft Mechanics, Automotive Repair, Building Construction, HVAC Systems, Plumbing, Electrical, Domestic Services for the mentally and physically challenged, and Dental Assisting to name a few. Notably, the License Practical Nursing program was the first in the State to be offered in a school setting. He developed the first state of the art auditorium incorporating multimedia technology and named it “Lectorium”. The Lectorium was technically beyond what was currently in any school system including higher education institutions. His portrait hangs outside of the Lectorium as recognition of his contribution to education and as the founder of Vocational and Technical Education.
Jewel developed a program that allowed students to learn and apply skills in a real-life situation. For example, the farm machinery students would complete their work on farm equipment and take it to the fields behind the Center, planting alfalfa and then harvesting. The proceeds of the sale of the crops were turned back to the Center for additional equipment and learning materials. Another example is the construction students would build a small home on the property which involved plumbing, electrical, and HVAC students to bring to completion. The home was sold and again proceeds turned back to the Center for investment in tools, supplies, and educational materials. These are two examples of the brilliance of Jewel Ridge and his ability to expand the knowledge of each student in a life application.
Several years into the success of the O.T. Autry Vocational and Technical Center, the Raleigh Bicycle Corporation reached out to Jewel to establish a partnership with the Center. The partnership was finalized, and the Center designed a new program that would teach the assembly of Raleigh Bicycles to the plant employees. The partnership was successful for several years and brought several jobs to the community of Enid.
Since 1966, there have been countless students, including teenagers and adults who have received education and training in various fields as the Center has evolved to include business, science, emergency services, and fire suppression services to name a few. With the increase of educational programs offered it was required that the footprint of the Center be increased. To this day, the legacy of the vision of Jewel continues and has since evolved to several Vocational and Technical Centers across the State of Oklahoma.
The arch that frames the entrance of the Autry Technology Center is the symbol that all who enter will receive the foremost education in their chosen field of study and all due to one man who held a commitment to education for all ages.