Francis Tuttle

Francis Theodore "Dr. Tut" Tuttle (September 5, 1920 – February 12, 1997) was an American educator. He is known as the "architect" of vocational-technical schools in the state of Oklahoma.

Early life and education Francis Theodore Tuttle was born on September 5, 1920, in Wellston, Oklahoma, to parents Amy Franklin and Ira Tuttle. He attended Wellston High School. His memorial was held at First United Methodist Church in Stillwater.

In 1985, Tuttle was one of the inaugural inductees into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame in recognition of his distinguished career and leadership in education, including his service as State Director of the Oklahoma Department of Vocational-Technical Education from 1967 to 1985 and his status as a pioneer in career and technical education in Oklahoma.

In 1990, Tuttle was inducted into the Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame as a member of its inaugural class, honoring his foundational leadership and lasting contributions to Oklahoma's career and technical education system.

In 2015, Theodore Tuttle was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2015, in recognition of his contributions to career and technical education in Oklahoma.

In February 2023, the Oklahoma State Department of Education's Educators Hall of Fame had images removed by the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, this included the images of Tuttle, Frederick Douglass Moon, and Joy Hofmeister. Walters claimed that the images were removed because the state does not want to highlight "union leaders and association heads".