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ORU Lands on Monopoly

By Jadell Forman (Class of 1990)

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"One, five, ten, twenty . . ." Beard hopes his Monopoly profits will add up to help pay for his children's future college tuition bills.
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Seated inside the Press Box at ORU's J. L. Johnson Stadium, Beard holds up his brainchild: the Centennial Edition of Monopoly.
Seated inside the Press Box at ORU's J. L. Johnson Stadium, Beard holds up his brainchild: the Centennial Edition of Monopoly.
Click Photo to Enlarge
Beard points to the ORU space, worth $320. (In the original game, this space belongs to Pennsylvania Avenue.)
Beard points to the ORU space, worth $320. (In the original game, this space belongs to Pennsylvania Avenue.)
With a roll of the dice, you move your buffalo token across the Monopoly board and land on . . . ORU!

Playing games is paying off for Bob Beard 88, 99-M.A.Ed., who put ORU on the board of Monopoly's Oklahoma Centennial edition. Combining an ORU heritage with board game experience, Beard boasts, "I created the look, feel, and components of the game from top to bottom." The task involved enlisting entities from around the state to sponsor property spaces such as Tulsa Convention Visitor's Bureau, Chesapeake Energy, and the State Seal.

"I knew I wanted our top universities on the board to represent higher education." This former director of Alumni Relations had his alma mater at the top of the list. "I went to them first to see if they wanted to be on the board." And they did.

Jeremy Burton, ORU director of public relations, recognizes the opportunity. "It's exciting that ORU is able to participate in this state initiative. It really puts the university on the map with the other great Oklahoma companies and universities."

ORU's presence includes the property space (replacing Pennsylvania Avenue for the top price of $320) and its correlating Title Deed card, which lists rental prices -- the amount a player pays upon landing on the property during game play. According to Beard, this Oklahoma Centennial edition is not a knock-off but the real deal, having "the true trademarks of Monopoly, or, the graphic components such as colors spaces [. . .] Free Parking, Go To Jail, Pass Go, et cetera."

The project got underway when Beard, now director of development for Tulsa Community College, prayed for a witty invention (see Proverbs 8:12 KJV) that would fund his children's college education. He says he laughed when this idea came to mind. "Kind of like Abraham, 'How can this be?' with a chuckle. It seemed so light-hearted. A game . . . of the Centennial?"

But throughout the next three days, he couldn't shake the concept. So, he contacted Hasbro (the maker of Monopoly), pitched the idea, and they eventually agreed. "It seemed so far out. But then again, God works with far-out ideas! The impossible made possible," says Beard.

Several other Monopoly editions exist, including Lord of the Rings, Snoopy, M&M'S, and Snowboarding. Now Oklahoma has its own, with ORU on the board.

The Oklahoma Centennial edition, released statewide on April 10, is available at most Arvest Bank locations, gift shops, the ORU bookstore for $34.95, and online for $32 at www.bestontheboard.com.
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