Miltonvale Wesleyan College first opened her doors in September of 1909. For several years prior, the matter of locating a school somewhere in the west had been under consideration by the Wesleyan Methodist connection. In 1908 Prof. S. W. Bond, who was then educational secretary, was sent in to the middle west to consider the various offers made and to accept the one which seemed the most desirable. After some deliberation that of the Miltonvale Commercial club, viz., the gift of the campus by the Tootle estate and the erection of a building by the town and community, was accepted.
On the first day of January, 1909, there were only three houses west of the creek and not a tree was to be found on what was soon to become “College Hill.” In the early spring the work of construction began under the direction of a Mr. Linville of Concordia.
School opened about the sixth of September with S. W. Bond transferred to the presidency, but even then the building was not completed and registration was held on the porch at Hillcrest,(the home of Mrs. Hazelhurst [dean of women and prof. of Latin and Greek,] was opened for the registration of students and the assignment of lessons. Even the first chapel exercise was held on the front veranda of her home… At the close of the first day 60 students were enrolled, representing Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, California, Ohio, and New York.). For at least a month classes were annoyed by the sound of hammering and sawing until at times the instructors were compelled, in the midst of recitations, to stop and wait until the noise subsided. The chairs did not arrive until two weeks after the opening day and during that time both teachers and classes were compelled to stand through the day, but no one ever heard a word of complaint anywhere.
President Bond remained at the helm for seven vears, during which time the student body increased and the school moved forward. Because of the growing enrollment the W. H. and F. M. Society, in 1915, undertook the erection of a ladies’ dormitory. Abbott Hall was the result of their efforts.
In the fall of 1916 Prof. H. W. McDowell came from the faculty of Houghton College to assume the duties of president. His wise counsel and efficient administration piloted M. W. C. safely through the war time period when many small colleges were forced to close their doors because of a lack of both money and students, particularly the latter. During his eight years incumbency the president’s home and Hillcrest were added to the college holdings besides a considerable amount of endowment. His voluntary retirement came in 1924 when he left to bask in the beauties of California sunshine.
In 1972, Miltonvale Wesleyan College and Bartlesville Wesleyan College merged. Enrollment increased in the 1970s, and Bartlesville Wesleyan College experienced the largest increase of any four-year college in Oklahoma. With enrollment increasing at 97.4 percent, campus expansion became imperative. Four new buildings were built: Haltom Campus Center, Robert & Joyce Campbell Science building, Dorm ‘74 and Mueller Sports Center.
In 2001, the college officially became Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Since then, Lyon Chapel & Fine Arts Center, Keating Center, Lisa & Mark Roberts Fitness Annex, Janice & Charles Drake Library, six dormitories and additional athletic fields have all been built. The University’s outreach now includes an extension in Tulsa and online classes.
The University’s objective has expanded, but the mission has always been to prepare individuals to reach out and touch the world for Christ. Thousands of alumni have made a difference globally. OKWU’s vision and mandate remain steadfast. With the Lord’s leadership, President Dunn—as well as the university leadership, faculty, staff, students, partners and alumni—can rest assured that OKWU will continue to live out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Abbot Hall
Abbot Hall 1913 had 13 residents. Abbott Hall is a brick structure of three stories. but it sometimes has more than that; for that’s where the co-eds live. A dormitory, by its name, us a place to sleep, but ours has acquired other characteristics. The dining room occupies a large place in our lives as M. W. C. students, a larger one when the odor of onions permeates even third floor. They are a course as popular as Prof. Poling’s or Prof. Wilson’s. Then one would not, could not, forget the Dean’s office where we told our woes or had them added to.
The “dorm bunch” had representatives from each department and class this year, so we lacked no variety of social activity, from the latest Freshman scandal to the after effects of the Senior or College sneak hike. Our family was of moderate size. Altho’ we were thirteen, we seemed to have had no more than the usual amount of bad luck, and as we are about to leave we remember most the happy times spent together. A dormitory is a fine place to form lasting friendships, and ours is no exception. A number of us have made some that we hope never to get away from.