News From PCCA...

In Memoriam - Jimmie Brooks

(June 4, 1927 - February 17, 2015)

PCCA is saddened to report the passing of Jimmie Brooks, Chairman and Founder of Brooks Construction Company Inc., Shawnee, Okla., PCCA Past President, inaugural member of the PCCA Hall of Fame, and a dear friend and mentor to many PCCA members.

Jimmie was born June 4, 1927, to Winfrey and Dovie (Odom) Brooks in Shawnee, Okla. He was raised in Shawnee, Skagg City, Harjo, and Tecumseh. Jimmie was a 1945 graduate of Tecumseh High School and then earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics at the University of Tulsa. He served his country proudly in the U.S. Air Corp during World War II and was stationed with the European Theater in Germany.

Jimmie married Mary O. Tucker on June 16, 1945, in Woodward, Okla. Following their marriage, the couple moved to Houston, Texas, where Jimmie was a pipeline engineer for Gulf Oil. They returned to Shawnee in 1956 where Jimmie along with his father, E.W. Brooks, founded Brooks Construction Company Incorporated, where he was still serving as Chairman of the Board at the time of his death.

For many years, Jimmie and Mary lived on his family homestead in South Pottawatomie County until moving back to Shawnee in 1983 where they have resided since. Jimmie enjoyed being with his family, playing golf, and going dancing at the American Legion in Tecumseh. He and Mary loved the two-step and waltz. He loved country and western music, especially Bob Wills and Merle Haggard. He enjoyed playing the fiddle, piano, and the mandolin. Jimmie was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan and enjoyed watching the games on TV. He enjoyed flying and was a skilled pilot. He and Mary enjoyed traveling and loved spending time in Ruidoso, New Mexico, where they were founding sponsors of a country and western music festival called the Cowboy Symposium.

Jimmie was a very successful businessman and had many accolades and accomplishments throughout his life. He was a member of the Western Rural Telephone Association, Rocky Mountain Telephone Association, Arizona/New Mexico Telephone Association, and the Texas/Oklahoma Telephone Association. He was on the founding Board of Directors of South Central Workshop and the Board of Directors for Federal National Bank and Trust Company. He also served on the Shawnee, Oklahoma Airport Advisory Board and was a Shawnee Chamber of Commerce Member. In 1986 Jimmie was elected as the President to the Power and Communication Contractors Association for 1986-1987. He held two conventions during his tenure, one in Maui, Hawaii, and the other in Denver, Colorado. In 2015, Jimmie was an inaugural inductee to the PCCA Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was inducted into the University of Tulsa's College of Engineering and Natural Sciences Hall of Fame.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Winfrey and Dovie Brooks; sister, Ethelda Chotia; two infant sons, Jimmie Leon and Baby Boy Brooks. Those left to cherish his memories are his loving wife of 69 1/2 years, Mary Brooks; daughter and son-in-law, Edie and Gary Akin; granddaughter and husband, Meredith (Akin) Tyler and Jason; grandson, Garrett Brook Akin; great-granddaughter, Brooklynn Marie Tyler; beloved pet, Koki; brother and sister-in-law, Lee and Wanita Brooks; 3 sisters and 1 brother-in-law, Alice Bolt, Joyce Bullock and Elaine and Kenneth Holder; and other extended family and friends.

The family has designated the following organizations as appropriate for memorials in lieu of flowers: Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, P.O. Box 1890, Amarillo, TX 79174-001, (email: calfarley.org); New Mexico Boys & Girls Ranches, 775 Highway 304, Belen, NM 87002, (email: ranches.org); and Marland Children's Home, 1300 Summers Place, Ponca City, OK 74604.