Former state Sen. Tom Dugger, who represented Payne and Creek counties in the Oklahoma Legislature from 2016 to 2024, died Monday, Oct. 5, at Stillwater Medical Center. He was 77.
Dugger, a longtime Stillwater accountant and civic leader, had been battling advanced Parkinson’s disease.
A Republican, Dugger was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2016, succeeding longtime Sen. Jim Halligan, and represented Senate District 21 for two terms.
During his eight years in the Senate, Dugger chaired the Appropriations Subcommittee for Select Agencies and served as vice chairman of the General Government Committee. He also served on committees overseeing education, agriculture and wildlife.
Education was among Dugger’s primary legislative interests. He advocated for college affordability and education funding and supported measures including textbook tax exemptions. In 2023, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education presented him with its Distinguished Service Award.
His career in public service began years before his election to the Legislature.
Dugger served two elected terms on the Stillwater City Council and was vice mayor of Stillwater. He also served as a regent for Northern Oklahoma College and as president of the Stillwater Community Foundation. Professionally, Dugger was a certified public accountant with deep ties to Oklahoma State University and the Stillwater business community.
An OSU accounting graduate, he worked early in his career for Peat Marwick in Oklahoma City and later as audit and tax manager for the Oklahoma Publishing Co. He moved to Stillwater with his family in 1979 and established Dugger & Co. in 1986.
He later served on the Oklahoma Board of Accountancy, the Oklahoma Society of CPAs and the advisory board for the OSU School of Accounting. OSU named him a Distinguished Accounting Alumnus in 2005, and the Oklahoma Society of CPAs honored him with its Public Service Award in 2002.
His involvement in Stillwater stretched across business, education and community organizations. He served with the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, Stillwater Exchange Club, American Red Cross and several charitable organizations, and was a longtime supporter of Scouting and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Dugger was also a veteran of the Oklahoma National Guard.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Ann, and their son, Jim.
Service information and a complete obituary for Dugger appear elsewhere in this edition.