Gene L. Droke was born in Putnam, Oklahoma June 6, 1923 and passed away in Edmond, Oklahoma on February 7, 2010. He graduated from Putnam High School, and volunteered and served in the US Navy during WWII. After his service, he attended OSU graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering. Gene went to Fort Worth in 1950 as an engineer for General Dynamics, doing Electronics, Nuclear Physics, Flight Test and Aerodynamic Wind Tunnel Engineering. Gene and his high school classmate, Dwight Corder, went to San Diego in 1956 to build a wind tunnel for the Convair division of General Dynamics. Gene worked at the tunnel for 38 years, retiring as the head of their instrumentation division. He designed most of the systems that are still used today. Gene worked on projects for the B-36, B-58, F-102, F-106, F-111 and the F-16 Fighter. Gene worked on missions for the space program to include a contraption as Gene called it to send rats into space so they could be studied in weightless conditions. Gene was preceded in death by his parents, William Wesley and Elizabeth Droke; his oldest sister, Sarah Stanton; a sister, Oma Droke; 3 brothers, Martin S. Droke, Raymond A. Droke, and William E. Droke. He leaves behind his twin sister, June Shaw of Edmond, and a group of nephews, nieces, and other relatives and friends. Services will be Friday, February 12, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at Mercer-Adams Chapel, Bethany, Oklahoma with Rev. Bob Walker officiating. Interment is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery, northeast of Putnam, Oklahoma. Memorials may be made to the Putnam School Building Committee.