Southeastern Oklahoma State University - Savage Yearbook (Durant, OK)

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| November before the State Board of | Affairs completed a contract with the || Jaughtery-Kirby Construction Com- gany for the first building. The cost was Photos: Opposite page: 1913 Manual Training Shop (top). The light-heartéd “Daughters of Rest,” (center) 1913. 1913 football team (bottom) with Coach Paul Laird. 1913 Baseball (above, top) played Hugo, Colbert, Caddo and Antlers High School. 1918 President’s Home (above) resembles the present building. to be $94,385.40, and the work was to start by December. The re be named Morrison Hall many years later in memory of Dr. W.B. Morrison, would not be completed and occupied until January, 1911. Following the visit of the state officials in early June, several formal protests were made to the Regents about the decision to locate in the peach orchard. After a special inspect, no change was made in the location. The Durant Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution condemning the sentiments expressed in the petitions and urged the Regents to ignore the protest and immediately let the contract for the construction of the building. Meanwhile, the Normal Board an- nounced that a president and faculty would be selected, and classes would commence in whatever temporary quarters could be found. The buildings made available by the city and its residents for the summer session were those of Durant High School and the Oklahoma Presbyterian College. The private Presbyterian institution, which was in the process of becoming a junior college for girls, had just constructed a new building on a larger campus in the northwest part of the city. In 1909, the original OPC buildings (located on the present day site of Washington Irving School) were pur- chased by the Durant School Board, who then authorized their use by the Southeastern Normal School until completion of its new bui lding. These temporary facilities consisted of a two-story brick building and some wooden dorms. ‘ The State Board of Education soon decided that the first faculty would be headed by Marcus Egbert Moore, a young man in his late thirties. Moore had been superintendent of schools at Marietta for five years. His tenure at Southeastern last only two years - about the average for the first five presidents - but he stayed long enough to get the school organized and successfully under way despite a host of problems. The Board also named a vice-president for the new school. Professor Elihu B. Hinshaw, a prominent member of the Oklahoma and National Normal Textbook committees, received the appointment. He was director of Bloomfield Seminary. Almost as soon as they were named, both men began a hectic’ but well-organized attempt to make the first summer session of Southeastern a success. They completed a brochure explaining the organization and had copies mailed to about 1,000 teachers in Southeastern Oklahoma.

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History Was Made Another joyous development for the backers of Southeastern happened on the same day the governor signed the bill. The initial appropriate was only $25,0 however an act approved on March 27, 1909, added another $75,000 with the stipulation that the city of Durant must provide 20 acres of land for a building. The proponents of the normal immediately asked the State Normal Board of Regents to permit the school to open by summer. The first state governing board for Oklahoma’s normal schools was established in 1908 and followed the pattern set in 1890 by the government of Oklahoma Territory when it established the Central Normal School at Edmond. The time for the opening of South- eastern and the selection of the campus site was to be made by this Board. On May 10, 1909. . . a committee from the Normal School Board of Regents, came to Durant to make a final decision concerning the location of the school. Upon their arrival E.D. Cameron and the other members were shown five available parcels of property: the Durant nursery property; several acres just west of the Durant City Park; Dr. J.L. Schuler’s peach orchard to the north of the city limits; the acreage of A.C. Risner to the southwest of the city; and the Thompson-Rains property southwest of the town. When the regents arrived at the orchard, they found promoters had erected a tall wooden tower topped by a reviewing stand situated near the present Russell Building. From the high platform the men were apparently awed by the “magnificent and impressive scene of the city and area surrounding the countryside.” At noon the school commissioners, accompanied by several interested parties, boarded the northbound Katy passenger train for their return to Oklahoma City. Shortly after leaving Durant, they went into’ executive session. Before reaching Atoka, the committee announced to the rival Durant land parties that they had reached a decision: Southeastern State Normal would be built on the 20-acre peach orchard. R. Schuler conveyed his title to the Regents by warranty deed, dated May 15, 1909. Due to unforeseen delays, it was pS Ra yay IN ore

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Classes Held The first session of SEN began on June 14, 1909, and continued until July 30, when the last county examinations were given. There were no incidental fees or tuition charged for the visiting teachers from Bryan or the surrounding counties. This situation became possible when the city.of Durant agreed “‘to look after these (Binancial) matters.” Teachers were informed they could bring any textbooks they wished, but the ones adopted by the State Board of Education would be used as the basis of all normal work throughout’ the commonwealth. To insure healthy communications and understanding between the mun- icipal government of Durant and the new school, Moore arranged for a public meeting to be held at the city hall on April 24, 1909, to discuss the particulars of the town’s commitment. At the meeting, Moore was pleased to see a good representation from the city and the normal faculty. In his speech, he flattered the city and its people for the progressive arguments and effective campaign the local citizenry had used to win the contest for the state normal. Yet, securing the normal would not be enough, he believed. The residents of Durant must financially support the institution or it U- e would never survive. The appropriation for the new normal was only $25,000 annually, and this amount would simply « not be sufficient to run the school. As part of the successfulgStrugged waged to found Southeastern the city had pledged to supplement state appropriations as needed. Consequently, Moore proposed Normal, that the city supply a contingency fund of $10,000 by levying an additional school tax of five mills - which would double the present rates within the town; of this amount, $3,500 would be allocated to subsidize the salary fund. The remainder of the monies would be needed to pay tuition fees and other expenses involved in maintaining the new institution. Moore urged the listeners to realize “that the first school year would in all probability be the more important in its history.”” He could not over-emphasize the necessity of adequately funding the school to make the first year a great success. Moore reported that if the mail he had received was an indication, the city and institution could expect between four and five hundred teachers to attend the first session. After his speech, the city leaders assured Moore the council would take swift action to alleviate any