CENTENNIAL HISTORIES SERIES A •r LeRoy H. Fischer OKLAHOMA S T T E U N I V E R S T Y Centennial Histories Series Committee W. David Baird Murl Rogers LeRoy H. Fischer J. L. Sanderson B. Curtis Hamm Warren Shull Harry Heath Milton Usry Beulah Hirschlein Odell Walker Vernon Parcher Eric I. Williams Robert B. Kamm, Director Ann Carlson, Editor Carolyn Hanneman, Assistant Editor Carol Hiner, Assistant Editor OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY CENTENNIAI 1890*1990 Oklahoma State University Historic Old Central by LeRoy H. Fischer, Ph.D. OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY / Stillwater Published by Oklahoma State University Centennial Histories Series, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078 Copyright © 1988 by Board of Regents for Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fischer, LeRoy H. Oklahoma State University historic Old Central. (Centennial histories series) Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Oklahoma State University—Buildings—History. I. Title. II. Series. LD4297.F57 1988 378.766'34 87-35036 ISBN 0-914956-28-0 Contents Foreword vii Preface ix 1 Winning the College for Payne County 3 2 Winning the College for Stillwater 17 3 Constructing the College Building 35 4 Turbulent Politics 55 5 Growth Pressures 71 6 Breakout Procedures 83 7 Students at Work 107 8 Students at Play 125 9 Decline and Renewal 153 10 Decline and Retirement 185 11 Beginning the Restoration 217 12 Completing the Restoration 235 13 Significance 257 Appendices 281 1 Old Central Roof Plan 281 2 Old Central Basement Floor Plan 282 3 Old Central First Floor Plan 283 4 Old Central Second Floor Plan 284 Bibliography 285 Index 299 Foreword Oklahoma State University Historic Old Central is officially volume number one in Oklahoma State University's Centennial Histories Series. Not only is it the exciting story of Old Central (the first permanent build­ ing on the campus, and the symbol of the university through the years), but it is also a mini-history of OSU's first 100 years. It is most appropri­ ate that early in the Centennial Histories Series there be an introduction to, and an overview of, the total institution and its development through the century. Volume two. Veterinary Medicine (which has already been published] and subsequent volumes through the 24th volume in the series, deal with specific units and/or programs of the university. Vol­ ume 25 which will conclude the series (and which will be a coffee table model and largely pictorial) will, like Historic Old Central, be a mini- history, in order to provide a concluding overview and wrap-up of the series. In the search and selection of an author for Historic Old Central, a w^riter of truly great stature emerged—Dr. LeRoy H. Fischer, Oppenheim Professor of History Emeritus at Oklahoma State University. An emi­ nent Civil War scholar and historian, he received the $5,000 Literary Award of the War Library and Museum and the Pennsylvania Command- ery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion in 1963 for his book enti­ tled Lincoln's Gadfly, Adam Gurowski. Diligent in his research and skilled in his writing, Dr. Fischer has unusual ability to make the past come alive. Readers of Historic OJd Cen­ tral will find it hard to "put the book down," once they begin reading it. Most American campuses have a focal point (usually its oldest build­ ing) which is a symbol of the total institution, both past and present. At the Oklahoma State University it is Old Central which fulfills this role. No other structure on the OSU campus ties past and present as closely as does Old Central. In the early decades of OSU's life it was indeed central in both location and college functions. In subsequent years, with substantial campus expansions and growth, it has found itself more on the edge of the campus both actually and figuratively. Yet, it has not lost a bit in stature, as the revered symbol of a great university! Dr. Fischer tells the story of Old Central with great appreciation of what it has meant to the hundreds of thousands of students who have enrolled during the past century at Oklahoma A. and M. College, and, after the name change in 1957, at Oklahoma State University. Historic Old Central does indeed have many stories to tell about the institution it represents—and, Dr. Fischer, ably and with great sensitivity, relates a century of growth and progress of the total institution through his account of the happenings of one small but very important building. The Centennial Histories Committee is grateful to all who have shared in the production of Historic Old Central. Special appreciation is expressed to Vice President Richard Poole, first coordinator of OSU's overall centennial observance, who originally conceived the idea of a Centennial Histories Project. He and President L. L. Boger have been most generous and supportive of the project. Since succeeding Dr. Poole as executive director of the Centennial Coordinating Office in the fall of 1987, Dale Ross has provided strong support. Dr. Ralph Hamilton, director of Public Information Services; Gerald Eby, head of University Publications Services; Edward Pharr, manager of University Printing Services; Heather Lloyd, reference librarian, and their respective staffs have assisted generously. Dick Gilpin's dust jacket art has added much to the series also. Judy Buchholz, first Centennial Histories editor, served ably in the initial stages of the project. Ann Carlson, as editor of this volume, and ably assisted by Carolyn Hanneman and Carol Hiner, has brought keen insight to the project and has worked devotedly to assure a high quality volume. Robert B. Kamm, Director Centennial Histories Project President Emeritus Oklahoma State University June 1988 Preface The histories of Old Central and the Oklahoma State University are inseparable. Indeed, the histories of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Territory, and the state of Oklahoma are also commingled from time to time with Old Central's past. For these reasons, as well as for human interest and breadth of insight, a broad approach is used in relating the life of the building. This method results in a panoramic view of Old Cen­ tral through the years and presents a mini-history of the university from the unique perspective of the structure itself. The book had its origins soon after Old Central underwent retirement from classroom and office use in 1969. Research materials were first accumulated on its history during preparation of the application for plac­ ing the building on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and then continued from time to time thereafter. Soon the need for a com­ prehensive study of Old Central began to emerge. Then graduate stu­ dents in history at the university came to my assistance and completed much of the basic research over a period of years. They were Thomas A. Hazell, Kenny L. Brown, George N. Otey, Jeffrey B. Conner, Linda S. Holubek, and Carolyn G. Hanneman. To each of these discerning and faithful friends I owe an enduring debt of gratitude. Meanwhile, with the organization of the Centennial Histories Pro­ ject of the university in the early 1980s under the direction of President Emeritus Robert B. Kamm, I gladly accepted the task of writing the Old Central book when time became available. During this period I not only had the thoughtful and sympathetic support of Robert B. Kamm, Editor Ann Carlson, and the Centennial Histories Committee, but also the dependable and highly knowledgeable research assistance of Carolyn G. Hanneman, and to each I am deeply appreciative. The search for source materials on the history of Old Central quickly revealed the long interest and major contributions of four people con­ cerning the building. Alfred E. Jarrell, a member of the class of 1896, the first to graduate from the university, spent much time during his last years recalling and writing about the early history and significance of the structure and the institution. Thomas J. Hartman of the class of 1898, together with his wife, Mary, of the class of 1903, collected early photographs of Old Central and similar archival materials. They gave them to the Edmon Low Library, which is built on the land contributed by Mary's father, Alfred N. Jarrell, to help establish the university in Stillwater. Berlin B. Chapman, who first became a professor of history at the university in 1927, has collected, studied, and written about the history of Old Central throughout his professional life. It was he who encouraged Alfred E. Jarrell and the Hartmans, as well as other early alumni, to prepare and give their materials on the history of Old Cen­ tral to the Edmon Low Library. Chapman has also contributed much simi­ lar material. Together these collections represent a major addition to the history of Old Central and the university. Considerable praise is due these pioneers for preserving so much of the institution's past. Interviews proved to be unusually helpful for writing this book, and for those who gave of their time and knowledge to provide this assistance, an expression of thanks seems totally inadequate. They were Robert B. Bird, Raymond E. Bivert, Harry K. Brobst, Thomas A. Casey, W. George Chamberlain, Berlin B. Chapman, L. Whitley Cox Sr., E. Edward Davidson, Ray E. Dryden, Leo Elwell, Robert D. ''Bob" Feni- more, Richard W. Giles, Peyton Glass Jr., Bill D. Halley, Hiram H. Henry, Everett E. Hudiburg, DeWitt T. Hunt, David E. Jafek, Albert E. Jones, Robert B. Kamm, Robert W. MacVicar, C. Earle Metcalf, Joseph R. Nor­ ton, James V. Parcher, Julius A. Pattillo, Bill E. Peavler, Randle Perdue, Richard W. Poole, Murl R. Rogers, J.