Inaugural Impressions
Catherine (Cathy) Heller Keating (1950–)
Catherine (Cathy) Dunn Heller was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 18, 1950. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a degree in education. She met Francis (Frank) Anthony Keating II on a blind date in April 1972. Frank, who also grew up in Tulsa, had returned to Oklahoma after working on the West Coast for the Federal Bureau of Investigations. They married in November of that year and went on to have three children. Frank was elected governor of Oklahoma in 1994 and reelected in 1998.
Cathy maintained a busy travel schedule as First Lady, visiting every county. She founded the Friends of the Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion and was involved in an extensive renovation of the building that included a new roof and restoration of interior features and finishes. She conceived the book Our Governors’ Mansions, the proceeds from which benefitted an endowment for the mansion. She also founded Septemberfest, an annual festival hosted at the Governor’s Mansion, and the Governor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
In April 1995, Cathy faced the difficult task of helping Oklahomans recover from the Oklahoma City Bombing. She helped coordinate recovery efforts for victims, families, and businesses. She organized official ceremonies in the aftermath, including the televised prayer service “A Time for Healing.” She published the commemorative volume In Their Name, which was a New York Times bestseller and raised over $1 million for victims. She also helped raise over $7 million to ensure free college or vocational education for each child who lost a parent in the bombing.
Cathy remains a prominent philanthropist and advocate for Oklahoma. She has served as chair of the Oklahoma Women’s Network, which seeks to promote access to healthcare, improve employment, and develop educational programs. She has served on numerous boards, including for the Palomar Family Justice Center, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2023.
Cathy Heller Keating, 1994
(2012.201.B0324.0021, Oklahoma Publishing Company Photography Collection, OHS)
