Long-time Sayre Public Schools Superintendent Danny Crabb announced his retirement earlier this month.
Crabb has been a popular superintendent by most accounts, and several SPS employees publicly expressed that they disliked seeing him go.
After an extensive search, the school board met on Monday to interview candidates and vote on Crabb’s replacement.
The SPS board voted to hire Dee Wilhelm, a western Oklahoma native. Wilhelm currently serves as site director for the Sayre location of the Western Technology Center. “We were glad to have Mr. Wilhelm apply,” SPS school board member Bandy Silk said. “He is more than qualified. His record is pretty impressive. Several people from the community reached out to me before we met to tell me how much they wanted Mr. Wilhelm, so that meant something. But ultimately, it came down to us. He told us his vision was top down for the schools, and they aligned very much with what we wanted to do. I will say that Mr. Crabb is leaving the school better than he found it, and I believe Mr. Wilhelm will do the same. The thing that impressed me the most was that we could tell he was a Christian man, and that was present in what he did. I think he will be a good match for us.”
Wilhelm echoed the excitement to the Beckham County Record.
“Leaving WTC was not an easy decision,” Wilhelm said. “I could have finished my career there and been happy. It is a great place and offers great things. Of course, Sayre students also attend WTC, so we will continue that partnership and work with SWOSU. I wouldn’t have made the move if it wasn’t right, but I look forward to serving Sayre’s people and students.”
Wilhelm graduated from Elk City High School in 1987 before attending Southwestern Oklahoma University.
“I went on a football scholarship and first got a business degree,” Wilhelm recounted. “I went to work and realized that wasn’t the right fit for me, so I went back to school to finish classes to become a teacher. I started at Elk City and have been a principal to about every age. It was intriguing to me to do this one last challenge, and I intend for this to be the place I retire from.”
Wilhelm has been married to his wife, Tammy, for 24 years. They share three children and three grandchildren.
