The names of two Enid leaders have been added to the walls of Stride Bank Center, the latest in a long line of plaques stretching across the west lobby and hallway honoring many who have made a difference in Enid.
Doug Frantz and the late Bob Dense, 2026 Enid Walk of Fame recipients, were honored during a ceremony Sunday afternoon in front of families, friends and other leaders and Enid residents.
“It is such a privilege to be here today. And on behalf of our family, we would like to thank you all for this tremendous honor, and we’re just humbled by this,” said Marcy Dense Price.
She and sister Molly Player represented the family of Dense, who died Aug. 10, 2025. His other children are Melissa Clark and Paul Dense.
He was honored alongside Doug Frantz, who remembered his longtime friend fondly.
“Bob was a dear friend of mine for over 50 years, and we did a lot of things together. We played golf together, we played tennis together. He blistered me at tennis. I could shade him in golf …” Frantz said.
“Anyway, we competed in all those things a little bit, but Bob sure enough beat me to heaven. You know, said in the paper, you read it closely, said two of these honorees, one of them is going to be inducted posthumously, and one still living — barely,” Frantz said, one of many times he drew laughter from the crowd during his address.
“I don’t want to make this too long, but I don’t give many speeches anymore,” the former Enid mayor said, as the crowd reacted.
He also gave a brief endorsement of the current Project Thunderbird endeavor to attract data centers to Enid that drew applause from the good-sized crowd in Stride Ballroom C.
But the majority of his speech focused on the contributions of others, an attribute recognized by current Mayor David Mason while reading the proclamation honoring Frantz and listing numerous awards and community contributions.
“Yet, if you ask him about those accomplishments. You will likely hear him shift the conversation to the contribution of others. I think we just saw that …” Mason said.
DOUG FRANTZ
James “Doug” Frantz, the living honoree, has devoted his life to service through military sacrifice, civic leadership and volunteerism, according to a city of Enid news release.
A Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Frantz became a business and community leader following his military service.
“After returning home, he built not only a successful career but a life centered on giving back to his city, his church, and other organizations that strengthened Enid,” the proclamation states.
He served as president of the Rotary Club of Enid and Enid Noon AMBUCS and was a member of the boards of Stride Bank, Denny Price Family YMCA, Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center and Booker T. Washington Community Center. He twice chaired the annual United Way drive, helping support local programs and services.
He was the 2011 Pillar of the Plains and served two terms as mayor.
BOB DENSE
Robert W. “Bob” Dense, the posthumous honoree, was a successful businessman, community leader and volunteer whose influence helped shape Enid for more than five decades.
As president and CEO of Dense Mechanical Contractors, he built a successful company while dedicating himself to civic service.
Dense served in leadership roles with the Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce, St. Mary’s Mercy Hospital, Phillips University, Enid Rotary Club, Enid chapter of the Air Force Association, Denny Price Family YMCA, Enid Public School Foundation, Enid Higher Education Council, Enid Economic Development Coalition and Enid Symphony Association.
Dense was a longtime supporter of United Way of Enid, serving as campaign chairman, and was a recipient of the United Way’s Dick Lambertz Memorial Award. He was a Pillar of the Plains honoree.
He served on the city of Enid Mechanical Board, volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, mentored boys through Hope Outreach, volunteered at Carver Early Childhood Center and helped with construction of the Adventure Quest.
Dense’s daughter said the Enid Walk of Fame is aptly named to honor all of the contributors to the community.
“And as I begin to comprehend this incredible honor, I realize that it’s not called the Hall of Fame — it’s called the Walk of Fame,” Price said. “And as I looked at these, the names of these incredible men and women that are on this hall, that you walk through, I realize what an appropriate name, that they call it the Walk of Fame, because it’s really about their walk through life … their pattern of living, their routine of living, yet to serve and contribute to the community…” She said she is proud her father provided an example on how to live and walk through life.
Frantz said he and Dense often talked about “eternal verities” and what was important in their lives.
“We talked about, you know, our families and our business and dog training and wife training, everything we could think of,” Frantz said. “And I know, Bob told me and I was the same, we — what we wanted to live was a Christ-centered life, and that was our goal. Now I’m here to tell you, though, we were both dismal failures. It’s hard to live a Christ-centered life in this world, and so I’m not claiming that we got anywhere close. But that was our intention. That was our motivation. We wanted to be Christian men in our community and represent Christ, and so I know, without a doubt, having spent quite a bit of time with old Bob, that he will be in heaven right now with our Savior, and so I’m just proud to be on the dais with him today.”
As Frantz left the stage, Mason thanked the crowd for attending before they unveiled the newest plaques on the wall.
“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to follow that,” Mason said, “but tell you what, I think it’s very, very easy to see how fortunate we’ve been in Enid to have men like Bob Dense and Doug Frantz. Just their commitment to our community … extends over so, so many years. So keep looking for other people out there just like that.”
Written by Violet Hassler and published in the Enid News & Eagle
Photos by Kevin Hassler, Enid News & Eagle
