was born June 16, 1925 in Piedmont, OK to John Leslie and Faye Roblyer. He was a life-long resident of El Reno. He attended school at Webster Elementary, Etta Dale Junior High, and graduated from El Reno High School in 1943. He said his first experience with good people was at the school where he grew up.
He said his mother was his main influence because she always encouraged him. After graduating from El Reno High School, he joined the U.S. Air Force where he navigated a B-17. When his time in the service was completed, he returned to serve El Reno Public Schools for 42 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. Mr. Roblyer retired in 1990. He was always dressed up and looked neat. He was known for coming to work before others arrived and staying later into the evening.
Roblyer was proud to be a part of the El Reno Public School System, serving as Lincoln Elementary School principal, El Reno High School curriculum director/teacher/high school principal, and then El Reno Superintendent of School for 28 years. He also worked as El Reno Junior College president for nine years before retiring in 1990.
Even after his retirement, Roblyer’s presence could still be felt throughout the district. He remained an active volunteer and philanthropist working with the Special Olympics, the American Legion Boys State program, El Reno Public Schools Foundation, and the El Reno Retired Teachers’ Association.
Roblyer died April 10, 2008, and is buried in the El Reno Cemetery.
The Roblyer Middle School was named in honor of Leslie F. Roblyer. It was the first new school to be constructed in El Reno in more than four decades. The school for sixth and seventh graders was built in a former wheat field. It opened in the fall of 1996.
His advice to all young people who pass through the doors of Roblyer Learning Center is:
1. Set your goal each day to accomplish two more things than you think possible, and then work at that speed.
2. You must accept detours, potholes, and delays en route to opportunities for getting a different view.
3. You should be certain you thank those who give you good direction as you travel the road to success; this may be parents, teachers, the custodian, a neighbor, or a classmate.
*History by Tera Roblyer
