with its territory split between three nearby districts. His home in Stillwater (where he had lived since 1990) was drawn into the western Oklahoma-based 3rd district (the former 6th district), represented by fellow Republican Frank Lucas. Most of his old base in Little Dixie was merged into the Muskogee-based 2nd district. The western portion, including Watkins' former home in Ada, was drawn into the Norman-based 4th district. Faced with the prospect of running in territory that he did not know and that did not know him, Watkins announced he would retire for good. In an indication of how much his politics had changed since leaving the House for the first time, Watkins served as honorary chairman for conservative Senator Jim Inhofe's bid for a second full term. Legacy After retirement, Wes Watkins continued to focus on issues of economic development, global hunger, global trade, and utilizing innovative technologies to address these issues. He founded a non-profit ministry, Matthew 24.40 Foundation, to provide scholarships for students to install hydroponics systems in diverse global locations to address issues of hunger. The Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development at Oklahoma State University was established in 1990 to increase the economic competitiveness of the state of Oklahoma and to assist Oklahoma-based businesses to engage in global trade. It is an extension unit within the School of Global Studies and Partnerships at Oklahoma State University. Wes Watkins Technology Center Inducted into Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame in 1991. Wes Watkins Reservoir in central Oklahoma was named in honor of him. See also Politics of Oklahoma Oklahoma's congressional districts Oklahoma Democratic Party Oklahoma Republican Party Little Dixie Party switching in the United States Wes Watkins Reservoir References External links Wes Watkins at Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress Wes Watkins CareerTech Hall of Fame Bio Voices of Oklahoma interview. First person interview conducted on March 1, 2017, with Wes Watkins. |- |- 1938 births 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives Living people Military personnel from Oklahoma Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators Oklahoma Independents Oklahoma State University alumni People from Bryan County, Oklahoma People from De Queen, Arkansas Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma