John D. Groendyke was born on August 17, 1944 in Enid, Oklahoma. John is Chairman of the Board of Groendyke Transport, Inc., one of the largest tank-truck carriers serving the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico. He 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, Oklahoma, to join his family’s trucking operation, which was founded by his father, H. C. Groendyke, in 1932.
John is a distinguished citizen of Oklahoma and the United States. He has served on the OG&E Energy Board of Directors, the Board of the National Tank Truck Carriers, six terms as a Commissioner for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (the longest-serving commissioner in Oklahoma history), and is a founding director of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation. In recognition of his 44-years of dedicated service, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation building in Oklahoma City is named in his honor. Mr. Groendyke has received the Phillip W. Schneider Lifetime Achievement Award from the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and serves as a trustee and former chairman for the Oklahoma Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. He is a member of the board of directors of the Grand National Quail Foundation and Grand National Quail Club, having served as past president and chairman of both organizations. Mr. Groendyke is a lifetime member of the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association, is an active member of the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees, and has been inducted into both the OSU and OSU Spears School of Business Hall of Fames. Mr. Groendyke established the endowed chair for Wildlife Conservation and Natural Resource Development within the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, and has been honored as an OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Champion. He serves on the board for the Friends of the Oklahoma History Center, has been inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, and honored with The Nature Works Wildlife Stewardship Award. He is also an active member of the United Way Pillars Club and is a founding partner of the Collector’s Foundation, where he shares his passion of collecting classic automobiles.
Mr. Groendyke has four children, twelve grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. He and his wife, Virginia, reside in Enid and are involved in many community activities. When he is not trucking, his energies are in wildlife conservation, farming and ranching, real estate, and collecting and showing antique automobiles.
John enrolled as a cadet at Wentworth Military Academy on September 8, 1957, where he quickly demonstrated a great love for athletic competition, scholastics and the Corps. During his time as a junior high, high school and junior college cadet, Mr. Groendyke was a member of the Honor Guard, the Wentworth Honor Society, The National Honor Society, the “W Club” (lettering in football, basketball and track a total of nineteen times). In his senior year of high school, he served as captain of the football, basketball and track teams. He was awarded numerous cadet honors including Superior Military Cadet Award, Best ROTC Cadet MS IV Silver Medal, Superior Military Cadet Ribbon, the Bill Cook Outstanding High School Athletic Award, Chicago Tribune ROTC Silver Medal, Aviation Award, Sons of American Revolution Medal, Henry Fox Award for leadership, the Ralph Conger Memorial Sportsmanship Award, and the John M. Burr Memorial Award for loyalty, leadership and service. Mr. Groendyke served as Echo Company Commander, and notably, served as Corps Commander for both his freshman and sophomore years of college. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in May 1964.
John Groendyke became a member of the Permanent Superintendent’s Council in 1989 and Wentworth Board of Trustees in 1990. John served on the board through 2022 (including several years as its chairman), until the benevolent corporation officially dissolved following Wentworth’s closing. He has been inducted into the Wentworth Athletic Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Stephen G. Wentworth Society Award. In 1994, the historic Wentworth Student Union was renamed “Groendyke Hall” in his honor.
John’s commitment and dedication to Wentworth and its legacy has earned him the honor of being one of Wentworth’s most respected and admired alumni. He was Wentworth’s primary philanthropic donor for the last thirty years of the Academy, and was instrumental in establishing the Wentworth Military Academy Museum and The Wentworth Military Academy Museum Endowment. Whether it was his achievement as a cadet, his service and philanthropy as an alumnus, his success in business, or his service to his community and others, John D. Groendyke has Achieved the Honorable.