See past events of East Central University's history
2008 Block Party
The ECU Band provides entertainment at the Block Party.
2007 Service Learning
Students clean up and beautify the ECU day care playground for a service learning project.
2007 Pi Day
Clay Carley gets pied in the face during the Math Department's Pi Day, March, 14, 2007
2007 OK Junior Academy of Science & OK State Science & Engineering Fair
OK Junior Academy of Science & OK State Science & Engineering Fair, March 27-30, 2007.
2006 Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center
"Construction crews work on the site that will soon be the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center. The new center will house the mass communications, art and music departments and contain a theater that will seat 1,000 people."
Spring Break 2005
Spring Break 2005: "Not all students have to leave town to go on vacation. Jared Ellis and Phillip Wood enjoy lounging in a kiddie pool outside Pesagi Residence Hall."
2005, "The Music of the Russian Soul"
Kristall Balalayka, the Russian music and dance group performed "The Music of the Russian Soul" at ECU on March 5, 2005.
2004, NASA Pow Wow
Native American Student Association Pow Wow, November 20, 2004.
2001, Blood Drive
"ECU Students and faculty wait in line to donate blood the day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A record number turned out."
2000, Chemical Protective Suit
"Cody Roberts strikes a pose in his chemical protective suit in front of the Physical and Environmental Science Building."
1998, Women's Soccer
Soccer: Mindie Meek and Melissa Owskey, October 31, 1998.
1998, Box City
Carrie Wade and Will Warner, Co-presidents of the ECU Habitat for Humanity Chapter, participate in Box City, September 30, 1998.
1997, Psi Chi promotional booth
"Tara Gorrell bobs for an extra credit apple at a Psi Chi promotional booth."
1993, Student Senate
"Members of the Student Senate work together to spell out their favorite university."
1993, Nnochirionye in the radio lab
Stan Nnochirionye in the radio lab, October 14, 1993.
1992, Tiger Tangles
House band for Tiger Tangles, 1992.
1990, Military Awareness Day
During Military Awareness Day, October 30, 1991, ECU formally adopted National Guard troops from Wewoka and Konawa stations. Here, a woman protests the Gulf War.
1989, Fashion
80's Fashion: Acid Wash Jeans. "Rodney Dindy and Allan Jones…Need we say more?"
1989, Dirty Job
"It’s a dirty job being a college student."
1986, ECU Band
East Central University Tiger Band, 1986.
1983, "ECU Goes to the Arcade"
ECU's 1983 Homecoming: ECU Goes to the Arcade. Beat Arkansas Tech! Final Score: ECU: 45 ATU: 0.
1981, "Cinderella of Loreland"
Ashes the cat surprises two royal ladies in "Cinderella of Loreland."
1980, "Super Spokes"
"Super Spokes" sponsors wheelchair basketball tournament in 1980. Members of the basketball team were Mike Curtis, Von Miers, Carl Rhoads, Jim Stark, Claud Stewart, Fred Odom, Myra Gregg, Steve McLaughlin, David Moore, Susan Ellison and Donna Cox.
1979, ECU's 70th Birthday
ECU celebrates it's 70th birthday in 1979.
1977, Women's Field Hockey Team
Women's Field Hockey Team, 1977.
1977, Greek Pumpkins
The Greek Organizations carved pumpkins for Halloween 1977.
1977, Journal Staff
1977 ECU Journal Staff: (Left-Right): Pat Fountain, Reporter; Monty Hall, Reporter; David Duke, Photographer-Reporter; Sharon Smith, News Editor; Mari Lea Danley, Assistant News Editor.
1976, Cheerleaders
ECU Cheerleaders: Row 1 (L-R): Anne Ashby, Annette Shofner, Darlene Moore. Row 2 (L-R): Pam Manahan, Brenda Cole, Marina Stoup.
1972, Spring Carnival
Spring Carnival 1972: "Industrial Arts lures crowd with Lady Luck at the penny pitch booth."
1971, Tiger Mascot
Tiger Mascot at a basketball game, 1971.
1969, "A Year on the Hill"
"'A Year on the Hill' begins with uncertainties and apprehensions that warm into acquaintances and experiences lasting long after the hill is a vague recollection." 1969 yearbook theme was "A Year on the Hill."
1969, Tiger Football Team
Tiger Football Team: "Nowhere is excitement keener than among the members of the Tiger team." Team Record for 1969: 8-1-1.
1968, Aerial Photograph of ECU
An aerial photograph of East Central State College in 1968.
1968, "Antigone"
The drama department presents "Antigone." Members of the Chorus, (Jerry Johnson, Randy Blair, and Taunya Ingram) represent public opinion in Sophocles' Greek Tragedy "Antigone."
1967, "Tiger Car" and "Victory Bell"
The Sigma Tau Gamma "Tiger Car" and "Victory Bell" are signs of student enthusiasm at all competitive events.
1967, Skydiving
Richard Wallrather gives an exciting exhibition of sky-diving during half-time at the 1967 homecoming game.
1967, East Central's Museum
Nancy Parmenter and Linda Starky are impressed by East Central's museum.
Horace Mann School, 1953
From its beginning East Central State Normal School's main purpose was that of a teacher training school. Elementary and junior high students were taught at ECU from the beginning. In 1919 funds were approved for the second classroom building on campus. Originally called the Education Building, its name was later changed to honor famous educator Horace Mann. The new building, which was located where the current Physical and Environmental Science Building is, housed the teacher training school headed by John Zimmerman. In 1925 Horace Mann became an accredited four-year high school in addition to the junior high and elementary divisions of the school.
In 1953 the new Horace Mann building was completed and still stands today. The training school was moved to this building and remained there until the program was discontinued in 1960.
Pictured is a Horace Mann class photo taken in the early 1950s.
1948, Dance
The once strict rules regarding male and female students socializing had been relaxed during WW II. Prior to the war it was against school rules for male and female students to be in a car together, much less participate in a school dance. In this photo ECU students enjoy themselves during a dance in 1948.
1943, World War II
During W.W. II enrollment at ECU dropped drastically as students and faculty alike enlisted. The campus was in turmoil for a while after the war started, but the college community quickly adjusted to the many changes brought on by W.W. II.
For two years of the war, there were 300 men on campus as part of the military's air cadet training program. Both Fentem and Knight Hall were used to house the men in the training program and the old wooden gym became a recreation hall for them. Office space used by the history and education departments was transformed into military headquarters for the cadet training program.
Pictured above is a young cadet in front of the sign for the air training crew.
Callixylon tree, 1936
In the years between 1913 and 1936, ECU and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. were vying for a 250,000,000 year-old petrified tree.
At the time, everyone was interested in the discovery of the tree at a near-by farm because it was the largest example of the oldest tree ever found.
Dr. David White, head of the U.S. Geological Survey came from Washington D.C. to examine the fossil and decided it should be displayed at the Smithsonian, not ECU. ECU supporters raised money for erecting the tree fragments into a tree shape and moving it to campus.
Dr. White died before enough funds had been raised to move the tree to the Smithsonian and as a result the tree was given to East Central. The Callixylon tree was formally accepted by President Linscheid in March, 1936. The plaque at the base of the tree is dedicated to Dr. White.
1935, Graduating Class
Enrollment at ECU stayed steady and even saw a slight increase throughout the years of the Great Depression. Many students couldn't find a job so they decided they might as well get their education. The biggest expense at ECU during the 1930s was room and board. At this time there were no dormitories at ECU so students rented rooms from local citizens. Some students couldn't afford to rent a room and as a result a "Hooverville" was formed of students living on campus in tents.
1928, Fourth Grade Class
"This Fourth Grade group is incorporating the grocery with the arithmetic lesson. Problems for this group are supplied by both children and teacher. They may arise through responses of the children to the environment provided, or through direct suggestions from the teacher or pupils. Certain holidays and activities that recur each year or oftener may be used as the basis of a lesson or a series of lesions, as: the Christmas toy sale, or the Saturday grocery sale as shown in the picture."
1927, ECU Orchestra
"The orchestra is one of the livest organizations in East Central. Under the direction of Mr. Siebs it has grown to be an orchestra of which any school could rightly feel proud. The orchestra has played for several public services and has often played for the student body." Top Row, L-R: A.H. Siebs, Bernece Payne, Junius Ridling, Lewis Thomas, Cecil Berkhart, Wadlington, J.N. Carter, Otis Clark. Bottom Row, L-R: Ben Chaney, Ora Faust, Garwood, Helen Emerick, Imogene Russell, Vernom Kamp, Thelma Ward, Bill Mackin, Mrs. Ruth N. Johnson, Dorothy Turner.
Forum Literary Society of 1925
This is the Forum Literary Society of 1925. It held its opening meeting on September 22, 1924-25, and began work with the following officers: President John Ryan, Vice President Denton Floyd, Secretary Zelma Chadd, Reporter Katherine House, Chaplin, Nolan Hill, Sergeant at Arms Ollie Gray, Sponsor John W. Zimmerman.
The forum did much that year to promote interest in literary activities. Most of the debaters and girls and boys who took part in the reading and oratorical contests were members of this organization.
The aim of this society was to help its members to be more efficient in literary activities and to arouse an interest among the students for such a work. Members of the faculty had shown much interest and appreciation of this organization. They have attributed the Forum with having helped to the greatest extent the atmosphere of the college.
1923, Home Economics Club
1923 Home Economics Club Creed: "I believe in the divinity of lowly details. I believe in the spiritual force residing in material order and purity. I believe in the eternal greatness of quiet service for the home restful and the body beautiful I believe in the priceless worth of that steady toil whose end is healthfulness and peace, which light is a shining pathway for the achievement of hand, of mind and of soul."
1921, Senior Mascot
The 1921 senior Mascot of East Central State Normal School.
May Day Fete, 1920
During the 1920s at East Central, Anna Weaver Jones, assistant professor of physical education, held an annual May Day Fete. Students from Horace Mann participated in a variety of dances in addition to the actual May Pole Dance. Music was provided by both the Horace Mann High School band and the East Central band.
Pictured are dancers from the May Day Fete.
1918, World War I
Upon United States involvement in W.W.I, the male students on campus at East Central disappeared as they enlisted in the war effort. Fall enrollment for 1917 showed a 19 percent drop from the previous year. The students and faculty who remained on campus participated in Liberty Loan drives and planted victory gardens north of Science Hall.
In 1918 the State Board of Education made military training a compulsory requirement. Drills consisted of one hour of military formations for the boys, followed by 30 minute sessions for the girls.
In the photo above the female students at East Central participate in their daily military drills.
Class of 1915
Who knew that the class of 1915 would produce two of the most prominent alums in ECU's history? Out of a class of 41 students, Ernest McFarland would go on to be the governor of Arizona, 1955-1959. His political career also included serving as a United States Senator from 1941-1953 and serving on the Arizona supreme court from 1964-1970. In the picture above, McFarland is the fourth from the left in the top row.
Robert S. Kerr was in the same graduating class of 1915. Kerr served as the governor of Oklahoma from 1943-1947. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1948 and served until his death on Jan. 1, 1963. Kerr's chief legacy for the state of Oklahoma is a series of water projects and dams that made the Arkansas River into a navigable inland waterway system beginning at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and going to the Gulf of Mexico. He died before he saw the commission's work come to fruition as the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. In the picture above, Kerr is the sixth from the left in the top row.
1911, ECU Football Team
Football has been a tradition at ECU from the beginning. The first games in 1909 were played by the Katy railroad tracks between 12th and 14th streets. Pictured is the 1911 East Central State Normal School football team.
