Loran Seely

Business Owner/Engineer

Black and white headshot of Loran Seely

Class of 1978 | Inducted 2026

Loran Seely is a graduate of Blooming Grove High School and attended Navarro College (NC) from the fall of 1976 through the spring of 1978. He was president of Phi Theta Kappa honor society while at Navarro.

Loran and Donna Smith (NC 1978 alumna) married in 1978 and moved to Austin, Texas, where they both graduated from the University of Texas in the spring of 1981. He earned a bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering. His career began with Otis Engineering (now Halliburton Energy Services) in South Louisiana, and later at the company headquarters in north Texas. He earned a U.S. Patent for Otis - a unique oilfield service tool.

Loran is owner and president of Watkins Development Construction Services. He has been a registered professional engineer for 40 years. Watkins Development has 25 full-time employees and numerous, local subcontractors and suppliers. Loran began to work there in 1987 and bought the company from Ronny Watkins in 2015.

He has been a member of the Navarro College Board of Trustees since 2015 and is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Corsicana. His community service includes terms as board president of Corsicana & Navarro County Chamber of Commerce, Navarro County Christmas in Action, and Navarro Council of the Arts. He has been a board member of Compassion Corsicana, Landmark Commission, Navarro County Exposition Center, Salvation Army, and Corsicana Youth Baseball. He continues to support these organizations and many other community efforts with his service and his support.

Loran, Donna, and their sons: Andrew and Philip, are proud Navarro College alumni. They hope that their 6 grandchildren also attend Navarro. They are grateful for the students, families, and values that are our legacy at Navarro College.