By Jim Stafford
Copyright © 2014, The Oklahoma Publishing Company
Russell Rother was a farm boy growing up in Watonga and worked on the family’s dairy operation. You can still hear western Oklahoma in his voice.
After high school, Rother began a journey into scientific research that eventually led to an FDA-approved drug, a multibillion dollar public company and his current position as chief operating officer of Oklahoma City-based Selexys Pharmaceuticals.
It may seem like a stretch to equate the rural farm life with scientific research, but Rother says his career as a scientist is firmly rooted on that Watonga farm.
“Growing up on a farm is a good way to stir the imagination and creativity,” he told me recently as we sat in his Selexys office at the University Research Park.
“At heart I’ve always wanted to be a scientist,” he said. “I think certain people with inquisitive minds just know, but it’s certainly no