Oklahoma native Charles Schusterman graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in petroleum engineering and served in the U.S. Army before returning to Oklahoma to work in the oilfield salvage business. Schusterman later founded Samson Investment Company, which became one of the 30 largest independent oil and gas companies in the United States. He and his wife formed the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation to focus on education, children, and the community. The Schusterman Center, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Campus was established through the family’s generosity in 1999. The group also supports Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics in Oklahoma City, and the Schusterman-Josey Chair in Jewish Studies. The Schustermans have received the Philanthropist of the Year Award, among other national medical research and philanthropic awards.