Tony Telemeco

Tony Telemeco is originally a native of Fort Washington, Maryland, where he graduated from Friendly Senior High School in 1973. Following a short stint at The King’s College in Briarcliff Manor, New York, studying music (voice and woodwinds) Tony enlisted in the United States Air Force, subsequently serving for twenty years as an Intelligence Analyst. Tony retired from military service in 1994 and, after spending several years working in the computer field, returned to college in 1997, receiving his AA in Liberal Studies from Rose State College in 1998 and his BA in English, with a minor in Psychology, from UCO in 1999. Tony received his MA in English (Traditional Studies) from UCO in July 2002.

Tony is an alumnus of the Junior College Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa, and is an alumnus of the English Honor Society (Sigma Tau Delta) and The UCO English Society. Along with the numerous honors and awards he received during his time in the military, Tony was selected as the Outstanding Undergraduate Student for the UCO English Department in 1999. He was also the recipient of the Lorraine K. Bell Scholarship and was named the 2002 Grady Watkins Scholar by the UCO English Department.

Tony and his wife Debbie, a native of Gulfport Mississippi, have been married since 1975 and have traveled extensively. They have not only lived in many areas of the US, but have also made their home in Berlin, Germany; Inverbervie, Scotland; and Seoul, Korea. Tony and Debbie have two children: Rory Sean, currently a freshman at UCO, and Maria Celeste, nine years old.

Tony is an avid fan of the arts, enjoying a broad range of music and theatrical presentations, including both studying and performing protest music (topical music) from the early and mid twentieth century. He enjoys writing poetry along various critical and analytical pieces and is a true student of the past, relishing he studies in the Old English and Middle English periods along with the English Renaissance. His other hobbies include canoeing, fishing, and gardening. Moreover, he is a state certified soccer coach and has worked with several youth teams in the under-eight and under-ten age brackets.

Tony true professional joy is found in the classroom, and he is actively pursuing his career teaching English at the college level. He hopes to eventually pursue a Doctorate in medieval literature after taking a short break from his formal studies.

Tony Telemeco

English Department

University of Central Oklahoma