Historic Robertson Hall

Historic Robertson Hall. . Completed in 1925 and named for Ann Worcestor Robertson, a prominent woman in Oklahoma history, Robertson Hall was one of the first dormitories constructed by the university, but it was only opened to women. , Robertson was born in Tennessee but moved to Indian Territory as a young girl with her parents, who were both missionaries, in 1835. While in Indian Terrority [sic], she worked as a missionary in the Creek Nation, and before her death in 1880, she translated the entire New Testament of the Bible and a large portion of the Old Testament into the Creek language. , Though Robertson Hall has not served as a residential hall since 1972, it is vital to an understanding of the role of women at the University of Oklahoma. By the time Robertson Hall was completed, not only had women been attending classes with men for several years, but they were enrolling in numbers nearly equal to their male counterparts. , Founded as a coeducational institution, OU has traditionally offered prominent places for women as students and members of its faculty and staff. In fact, the university's first president, David Ross Boyd, actively recruited women students. In 1901, Fantene Samuels became the university's first female graduate. Other women played important pioneering roles at the university. For example, at only sixteen years of age, Grace King came to Norman near the turn of the century to chair the music department and became the first woman to hold such a position in the university's faculty. She was the first of many to follow. Since King's tenure, women professors have served OU's academic community in virtually every capacity.