“This is Mr. Caldwell’s second stint as OBA headmaster.  The gifts and talents God has blessed him with will be a great fit as OBA moves forward to meet the mission of equipping students to glorify God by engaging the world.” -Paul Woodward, OBA Board President

Dallas Caldwell was born in Seminole, Texas on May 3, 1956. His father, an oil field worker, suffered a serious back injury in west Texas and moved the family to Oklahoma City. There Oscar Caldwell attended barber college and upon receiving his barber’s license, established Caldwell’s Barber Shop in Apache. Dallas attended 12 years of school in Apache; he fondly remembers this community and cherishes the privilege of growing up in a small town.

Dallas married his high school sweetheart shortly after graduation and attended the University of Science and Arts in Chickasha. He graduated in 1978 with his bachelor’s degree in Deaf Education. He and wife Joan moved to Enid, and Dallas began teaching deaf children and coaching in the Enid school system. The Caldwells joined Emmanuel Baptist Church and immersed themselves fully in the ministries of EBC. Dallas was a member of the founding board of Emmanuel Christian School.  His passion for a Christ-centered, biblically-based education had been born.

In 1981 Dallas became a full time staff member of EBC working as the youth minister. In 1985 he served as an associate pastor to students in Woodward. Dallas recalls his desire to become involved in Christian schooling and expand his role as a Christian educator. In late June of 1986, Jerry Koehn contacted Dallas Caldwell and asked him to prayerfully consider administrating OBA and to specifically pray about his leadership role in Enid. 

In July of 1986, Brother Dallas, the youth pastor, became Mr. Caldwell, the OBA Headmaster. During this time, the challenges facing OBA became wonderful opportunities for Dallas to experience the grace of God. The history of OBA records that these were tenuous times, but God blessed the sacrifice and stewardship of many OBA patrons to sustain the OBA legacy.

“My memories of those years at OBA are overwhelmingly positive,” says Mr. Caldwell. “I was able to see what faith, commitment, and hard work really look like; it was hard and looked somewhat hopeless, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

The three Caldwell children, Mandi, Dace and Dallas E. all attended OBA. Mr. Caldwell led the school in many ways—not only was he the chief administrator, he also taught senior Bible every year. Mr. Caldwell wrote and directed many senior plays and coached basketball. He fondly remembers coaching the 1996 girls’ softball team and advancing to the State Semi-Finals. He also coached the boys’ cross-country team which won the State Runners-Up championship in 1999.

“I will never, ever forget the night we purchased the mortgage on the OBA building and that moment when Student Council officers handed John Loewen an oversized check for the final amount. Few things in my life have equaled that moment. That moment was compensation enough for my time at OBA.”

During his tenure at OBA, Dallas completed his master’s degree in Education Administration at Oklahoma State University and studied Bible through Oklahoma Baptist University.   

In 2011, Dallas Caldwell completed his 25^th year as a Christian school headmaster; fourteen of those years were at OBA and eleven years at Oklahoma Christian School in Edmond.  He and his wife Joan enjoy their four grandchildren.

Dallas believes his life has been a continual discovery of meaning through Jesus Christ.  Through God’s grace, his mission is to seek and celebrate the Kingdom of God.

If any current student has not Pre-Registered at this time, please click HERE to download the Pre-Registration Form. Due to growing class sizes, there may be a wait list so please turn in your forms as soon as possible. The Pre-Registration fee is now $200 per student.

There is a link to Confidential Financial Services, CFS, at the bottom of the website. Follow this link to apply for Tuition Assistance. Our school ID number is #24104. The deadline to apply for aid is May 31.   

If you have any questions, please call us at (580) 242-4104.

It is also available on RenWeb under the Resource Documents.