Dr. Carlan Yates, a prominent Oklahoma City orthopedic surgeon, was inducted into the Putnam City Foundation Wall of Fame during the foundation’s Celebration of Excellence banquet on April 3 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Yates, a 1973 graduate of Putnam City High School, has practiced orthopedic surgery and sports medicine in Oklahoma City since 1987. Yates is an accomplished physician who was a United States team physician for the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta and has provided care and surgical services for scores of the country’s top professional and amateur athletes. For the past two years, Yates has been team physician for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.

Yates was introduced by Willis Reed, vice president of Basketball Operations for the Hornets, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

Yates told more than 400 banquet attendees he accepted the invitation to join Putnam City’s Wall of Fame as a way of honoring his family. His parents both taught in Putnam City schools, and all four Yates siblings excelled in Putnam City schools and went on to professional success.

"Putnam City Schools meant a lot to my family, and in turn received a lot," Yates said.

Yates joins a distinguished group in the Wall of Fame. Previous inductees in the Putnam City Wall of Fame are Neil Woodward III, a 1980 graduate of Putnam City High School, a NASA astronaut and a Commander in the U.S. Navy; Dr. Kenneth Cooper, a 1949 graduate of Putnam City High School and one of the world’s foremost experts on health and fitness; and Leo Mayfield, who served as Putnam City’s superintendent of schools from 1964 through 1978.

In addition to Yates’ presentation and induction into the Wall of Fame, banquet attendees witnessed recognition of this year’s five "Excellent Educators." The Excellent Educator awards are presented to teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty to educate students in the classroom. This year’s Excellent Educators are:

• Gale Gerhardt, first-grade teacher at Kirkland Elementary School
• Betty Herman, publications advisor at Putnam City North High School
• Karen Morgan, special education teacher at Putnam City North High School
• Nancy Ruby, world geography teacher at Hefner Middle School
• Shera Steinhoff, fourth-grade teacher at James L. Dennis Elementary School

Each of the five recipients was awarded $1,000, while their schools received $500 to be used to augment learning opportunities in the recipient’s classroom. The award is funded by the Independent Insurance Agents Association of Oklahoma.

Two district teachers who are pursuing additional education were awarded scholarships at the banquet. The Ralph Downs Memorial Scholarship went to Tina Nunn, a science teacher at Kenneth Cooper Middle School, and Sonda Mythen, a nurse at Lake Park Elementary School. The scholarships are presented annually.

The Carol Casey scholarship was awarded to Crystal Mars, a Putnam City High School senior. This scholarship is given to a student who wishes to study health care in college.

Banquet attendees were entertained by The Silver Strings of Putnam City, an orchestra composed of musicians from Putnam City High School, Putnam City North High School and Putnam City West High School. Additional students from the three high schools helped at the event.

In its 19 years of existence, the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation has provided more than $900,000 to enrich and enhance education in district classrooms.