Bonnie Vculek is no stranger to athletics. She graduated from Purcell High school in 1971 and enjoyed playing different sports, even though organized sports were not allowed for girls at the time.
“I performed in the school’s concert band and marching band,” she said. “Girls teams were not available for us. However, I enjoyed playing softball, baseball, basketball, and powder puff football with my friends and family.”
The athletic gene seems to have been passed down to Bonnie’s family. Her oldest granddaughter, Lillyanna Vculek Smith, is a junior at Enid High School where she is a member of the cheer team and the Platinum E club. Aimee, Lilly’s mom, played varsity softball at Enid High School and her uncle, Jacob Wedel, lettered three years playing basketball at Waukomis High School. Another uncle, Teddie Vculek lettered four years on the Waukomis football team and was selected 8-man All-State in football and also helped Waukomis win their first weightlifting state championship.
After high school, Bonnie attended the University of Oklahoma and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Language Arts. She went on to earn a double Master’s Degree in Language Arts and Elementary Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Bonnie has taught at Progressive School, Fairview High School, and Emerson Middle School for a combined total of thirty-five years. Towards the end of her teaching career, Bonnie found a new passion.
“I renewed my interest in photography while our children were playing high school sports,” she said. “I attended classes at Autry Technology Center in Enid. After winning a local photography contest for Enid News and Eagle, I began working as a part-time photographer for the newspaper from 1998 through 2010. Then in May 2010, I accepted their offer as a full-time professional photographer, a position where I remained active until my retirement in June, 2019.”
Being involved in her kids’ and grandchildren’s sports life as well as life in general is very important to Vculek.
“It is extremely important that your children and granddaughters or grandsons know you support them,” she said. “We do our best to attend all sports activities and participate in fundraising events throughout the year. Keeping a calendar of events, posting reminders on our watches or cellphones help us plan ahead for each game or upcoming activities.”
