News of the Week
For Immediate Release: MAY 18, 2012
Groendyke confirmed to sixth term on Wildlife Commission
Groendyke confirmed to sixth term on Wildlife Commission (May 18, 2012)
The Senate Tourism and Wildlife Committee voted May 15 to confirm longtime Wildlife Commissioner John D. Groendyke of Enid to serve a sixth term as a member of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission. Groendyke was reappointed by Governor Mary Fallin and is the longest-serving Wildlife Commissioner in the history of Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission governs all operations and financial transactions of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the state agency responsible for fish and wildlife management in the state. Groendyke's term will begin in July and run through 2020.
Groendyke, who has served on the Commission since 1976, represents District 8, which includes Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woodward, Woods, Major, Alfalfa, Grant, Garfield, Kay and Noble counties.
In addition to being an avid upland game hunter, Groendyke is chairman of the board of Groendyke Transport, Inc. Founded by his father, H.C. Groendyke in 1932, the company is one of the nation's largest motor carriers of bulk commodities serving the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. He graduated from Wentworth Military Academy where he attended high school and junior college and received his Bachelor of Science in Business from Oklahoma State University and his law degree from the University of Oklahoma.
He served as a Captain in the U. S. Army, and after a two-year tour of duty he returned to Enid to join the family trucking operation.
Groendyke serves on the OGE Energy Board of Directors, the Board of the Wentworth Military Academy Foundation and the Board of the National Tank Truck Carriers. He serves as a Trustee for the Oklahoma Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and is currently the chairman, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Grand National Quail Foundation and Grand National Quail Club, having served as a past president and chairman of the Board. He is also a member of the USA Shooting Board of Directors, the Oklahoma State Fair Board of Directors and the Oklahoma State University Foundation Board of Trustees.
Groendyke has two daughters, two sons, and seven grandchildren. He and his wife, Virginia, reside in Enid and are involved in many community activities. When not trucking, his energies are in wildlife conservation, farming and ranching, real estate, and collecting and showing antique automobiles.
The eight-member Wildlife Conservation Commission oversees Wildlife Department operations, including land and equipment purchases, wildlife management areas, plus the state's hunting and fishing regulations. The Commission also appoints the Department's director. Commissioners are appointed by the governor and require Senate confirmation.
The Senate Tourism and Wildlife Committee voted May 15 to confirm longtime Wildlife Commissioner John D. Groendyke of Enid to serve a sixth term as a member of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission.