Uncrowned Community Builders

Deola Mae Wells was bom on September 8,1940. She was the fourth of six children born to Lonzetta and Wazell Hall Sr.

Deola attended Oklahoma City Public School, graduating from Douglass High School in 1958. She earned her Baccalaureate Degree from Wiley College, Marshall, Texas in 1963 and her Master's Degree in social work from Atlanta University, Atlanta Georgia in 1965. While attending Wiley College, Deola became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She later became an active member of the Oklahoma City Alumnae Chapter.

While at Wiley College, Deola met Clarence Wells Sr. with whom she was united in marriage on August 9, 1964. They were devoted to each other for 41 years and were blessed with three children, Derrick, Clarence Jr. and Cynthia.

Deola's walk of faith began at birth having been nurtured and brought into church fellowship by parents who knew and loved the Lord. She was a charter member of the Emmanuel Baptist Church, Oklahoma City. She served for many years as Secretary of Vacation Bible School and served as Co Director/Director of the Annual Fall Study Course for over thirty years.

Next to God and her family Deola loved people, particularly those whose access to services were limited by financial, educational or emotional challenges. During her 37 year- career as a clinical social worker this love provided her with the opportunities to navigate uncharted territories. She started her career as Psychiatric Social Worker at Taft State Hospital, the only state facility for the treatment of African Americans who were mentally ill. In 1966, when state mental hospitals were desegregated, she integrated the professional staff at Western State hospital in Fort Supply, Oklahoma, by accepting employment at their facility as a social worker.

Returning to Oklahoma City in 1967 she spent the next twelve years with the community organizations focused on empowering low income groups to bring needed services to communities. Mary Mahoney resulted from one such effort. She returned to mental health care and developed the first aftercare program in Oklahoma County at Red Rock Mental Health Center. In 1982 she developed a twenty four hour emergency response system for Oklahoma County to treat persons experiencing mental health and substance abuse emergencies. This grew into the Oklahoma County Crisis Intervention Center. Deola provided leadership to the crisis center until her retirement on September 1, 2002.

On March 5, 2006, Deola Mae Wells was called home to live with her Heavenly Father.