Brummett, Oneok Chairman, Dies After Battle with Cancer

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- The chairman and chief executive of Oneok Inc. has died after a two-year battle with cancer.

Larry Brummett, 49, died Thursday.

"Larry was a great leader and a wonderful friend to all who knew him," said David Kyle, president and chief operating officer at Oneok, the Tulsa-based parent of Oklahoma Natural Gas Co.

"It is a tribute to him that we have such a great team of employees at Oneok who will move forward with the focus and vision that he has set for the company during his years of leadership," Kyle said.

Brummett became chairman, chief executive and president of Oneok in 1994. He joined Oklahoma Natural Gas in 1974.

Oneok grew from a $1 billion natural gas utility to a more diverse energy company with assets exceeding $5 billion during Brummett's leadership.

Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Ed Apple called Brummett a visionary who displayed a talent for picking strong company leaders.

"He was a man of highest integrity with whom I enjoyed my association," Apple said Friday. "He will be missed."

Commissioner Denise Bode said Brummett worked to improve the quality of life for all Oklahoma residents.

"He chaired Oneok during a period of dramatic change as the regulated monopoly natural gas utility moved toward a competitive market," said Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony.

Brummett is survived by his wife Debbie, a daughter, son and stepdaughter, his parents and two brothers.

Services are set at 11 a.m. Monday at Tulsa's Woodlake Assembly of God.