Inaugural Impressions
Molly Shi Boren (1943–)
Molly Shi was born on June 11, 1943, in Ada, Oklahoma. Her mother taught public school, and her father ran a farm and ranch near Stratford, Oklahoma, where Molly was raised and attended school. She went on to graduate from East Central College (now East Central University) in Ada with a degree in English. She taught high school for two years before attending the University of Oklahoma to obtain a master’s degree in English and a juris doctorate from the College of Law. She established a private law practice in Ada prior to her appointment as a special district judge in July 1975.
Molly married Governor David Lyle Boren on November 27, 1977. It was the first time an Oklahoma governor married while in office. The couple wed in the Governor’s Mansion with only immediate family present. Indeed, only family and a few staff members knew of the wedding before it was held. As First Lady, Molly regularly hosted visitors from across the state for tea at the Governor’s Mansion. She also decorated the mansion with works by Oklahoma artists, reflecting a strong commitment to the arts in Oklahoma.
Rather than seek reelection as governor, David announced his candidacy for the US Senate in January 1978. During his campaign announcement, with Molly at his side, he pledged to re-form the “Boren Broom Brigade” and clean up Washington, DC. He easily won the fall election and went on to serve three terms. Molly and David often returned home to Seminole when not in Washington, DC. Molly has served as the director of numerous companies and organizations. She has also served on the board of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce in Ada.
David resigned from the US Senate in 1994 to become president of the University of Oklahoma, which made Molly the first Oklahoman to serve as a trial judge, First Lady of the State of Oklahoma, and First Lady of the University of Oklahoma. David and Molly oversaw the university for over two decades. David often credited Molly for her ideas for many initiatives, including several important landscaping and building rehabilitation projects. Molly was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2004.
Molly Shi Boren, 1977
(2012.201.B0098.0102, Oklahoma Publishing Company Photography Collection, OHS)
