For Oklahoma CareerTech’s state director, the focus is on people: family, friends, students, colleagues. It’s a focus Phil Berkenbile developed while growing up in Oklahoma.

“So many people helped me get to where I am today,” Berkenbile said. “Agriculture was a big part of my life.”

His love for agriculture began as a child. Flown from Torrence, Calif., to Dover, Okla., when he was 11 days old, Berkenbile was adopted as the only child of Melvin and Lucille Berkenbile. He grew up on the family’s farm and began driving a tractor at age 8.

By the time he reached high school, Berkenbile was raising sheep and cattle and added swine production with the help of his agricultural education teacher Bob Lohmann. At one point, the young man had 100 ewes, 25 cows and 10 sows.

“I was lucky enough to raise good pigs,” Berkenbile said. “The highlight was raising and showing the breed champion Berkshire at the American Royal in 1965.”

In addition to showing livestock as a member of the Dover FFA chapter, Berkenbile served as chapter president, competed in public speaking contests and judged on the livestock team. His high school activities also included baseball, volleyball and basketball. He was an All-Star basketball player in 1968.

“In a small town, you do everything,” he said with a grin. “I owe the Dover community a lot. It’s still a big part of my life, and I love seeing the people.”

Thanks in part to Lohmann and Bob Price, his two agricultural education teachers, Berkenbile said he had wanted to be a agricultural education teacher since he was a high school freshman, so when it came time to choose a college, Oklahoma State University was a “natural fit.”

“What was important about my time at OSU was the people,” Berkenbile said.

His professors included names that read like an honor roll in OSU agriculture: Bob Noble, Robert Reed, L.J. Bush, George Cook, Chris White, Jim Key, Robert “Bob” Terry, Jack Pritchard and Robert “Bob” Price, who served as agricultural education department head at the time.

“It was a special time,” Berkenbile said. “Our professors knew you by your first name. They cared about you and wanted to know how you were.”

Although Berkenbile has earned three degrees at OSU – a bachelor of science and a master of science in agricultural education, as well as a doctor of education in educational administration – he said his grade point average “wasn’t that good” in the beginning. Why the change?

“I got married at the end of my sophomore year, and I was on the honor roll for my last four semesters,” he said.

He married Linnie Yost on June 5, 1970, and his subsequent classroom success paid off, earning him an interview with Morrison Public Schools in March 1972, the only interview he ever had for a teaching position.

“Even though I lacked two classes to take during the summer, I signed the contract and started June 5,” Berkenbile said. “It was also my wedding anniversary.”

But that first year on the job was anything but easy for the new teacher.

“I loved it, but it was rough,” Berkenbile said. “Morrison had some tremendous pasture and range judges, a winning tradition at the national level. We didn’t judge pasture and range in Western Oklahoma, but I learned and we won again.”

Berkenbile touched hundreds of young lives in his nearly 16 years as the Morrison agricultural education instructor, including those of his two children, Bob Berkenbile and Jennifer Berkenbile Wehrenberg. He expanded the program, especially in the area of community service, and helped his students win National Gold Emblem awards in every area, including Building Our American Communities.

“I liked the students the best,” Berkenbile said. “As an agricultural education teacher, you’re with the students 12 months a year. There are always new challenges and new opportunities.

“The students kept you young and enthused,” he said. “It was a family-type atmosphere; I was like a parent who kept them pointed in the right direction and helped them optimize their potential.”

Berkenbile won awards of his own as a teacher, guided dozens of State FFA Degree recipients and had a State FFA Sweetheart, but one goal eluded him.

“We never had a state FFA officer until after I left,” Berkenbile said, “and then we had three.”

When Berkenbile left Morrison in February 1988, he joined the agricultural education division at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education as the central district supervisor.

“I was honored to serve on that staff,” he said.

In June 1995, Berkenbile became Morrison Public School’s superintendent, but he returned to the CareerTech system in 1999.

“The professionalism in [the CareerTech administration] building is tremendous,” he said. “We pride ourselves in serving the public.”

The state director said his favorite part of the job is representing CareerTech as he speaks to groups about the opportunities for CareerTech students.

“I feel like I’m giving back,” he said. “I’m a people-person who loves to brag about our students and their accomplishments.”

Berkenbile said the future for CareerTech involves continued evolution to “meet the needs of Oklahoma.” “We’re in a positive light right now,” Berkenbile said. “There’s a tremendous demand for our programs and for our services in business and industry.

“We have to prepare ourselves to meet our students’ increased academic needs because students need to be successful in math and science.”

It is obvious Berkenbile believes in Oklahoma CareerTech when you hear the passion in his voice as he talks about the impact of the system.

“CareerTech is in a lot of ways responsible for a lot of the success around the state of Oklahoma,” he said. “I always meet people who credit CareerTech for their success.

“I would not be where I am today if not for CareerTech and the people associated with it,” Berkenbile said. “It’s about the ‘people’ with me and it always has been.”