Phillips University
Motto | Vincit Omnia Veritas (Latin) |
---|---|
Motto in English | Truth conquers all things |
Type | Private university |
Active | 1906–1998 |
Religious affiliation | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) |
Location | , , US |
Campus | Purchased in June 1999 by Northern Oklahoma College |
Colors | Maroon and black |
Nickname | Haymakers/Fillies (women's teams) |
Mascot | Lil Hay (a skunk) |
Website | www |
Phillips University was a
History
Originally named Oklahoma Christian University, the school was founded by Ely Vaughn Zollars on October 9, 1906. Enid-area businessmen raised $150,000 and purchased a 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus east of Enid. Though ultimately the university would base its teachings on the Disciples of Christ denomination, the committee to bring a university to Enid had a more diverse religious background: Edmund Frantz (Presbyterian), Frank Hamilton (United Brethren, Disciple), Al Loewen (Jewish), J.M. Pieratt (Disciple), and Everett Purcell (Presbyterian).
Oklahoma Christian University held its first classes September 17, 1907.[2] The first year's enrollment was 256 students, and of the freshman class, only 20 had completed high school.[4] Phillips High School was created in 1907 as a preparatory school at the same time to prepare students for college-level courses, and continued operations until 1925.[5] The school became affiliated with the North Central Association of Colleges on March 23, 1919, and in the American Association of Colleges in 1920.[5]
In 1987, Phillips Graduate Seminary incorporated as a freestanding institution independent of Phillips University. It is now known as
Phillips University also ran a graduate business school which awarded MBA degrees, and was well recognized in the states of Oklahoma and Texas. It also had a large international community of students from more than 20 countries.
Presidents
- Ely Vaughan Zollars (1907–1915)
- Isaac Newton McCash (1916–1938)
- Eugene S. Briggs (1938–1961)
- Hallie G. Gantz (1961–1972)
- Thomas E. Broce (1973–1975)
- Samuel E. Curl (1976–1979)
- Joe Robert Jones (1979–1988)
- Robert D. Peck (1989–1993)
- Donald F. Heath (1994–1995)
- Sheldon E. Elliott (1995–1996)
- G. Curtis Jones (1996–1998)[8]
Athletics
The school's sports teams were called the Haymakers. For one year, 1920, the school was a member of the
After defeating the Oklahoma and Texas football teams, the "Haymakers" gained a reputation as “one of the strongest teams in the southwest.”[11][12] When Phillips defeated Texas 10–0 in Austin, Texas in October 1919, the Longhorns had not lost a game since 1917.[13] One Texas newspaper reported that Phillips had "whitewashed the Longhorns in their own corral."[14]
As a result of Phillips' success, it was admitted to the Southwest Conference for the 1920 season. With the loss of several key players from the previous squads, Phillips fell to 4–5–1 record, failed to score a single point in conference play and immediately dropped out of the conference. Maulbetsch was hired to coach Oklahoma A&M in 1921. Unable to sustain its previous success, the program's reputation faded; the school finally closed the program in 1933.[10]
Subsequently, Phillips University baseball and basketball teams were in the NAIA. From 1952 through 1981, Phillips University baseball teams dominated their division. Coached by Dr. Joe Record during this period, the Haymakers compiled a 648–294 record for a .688 winning percentage.[15] Three of Record's teams went to the NAIA World Series. He was the NAIA Coach of the Year in 1973, and inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1975.
Phillips University Japan
In 1989 Phillips University opened a 12 acres (4.9 ha) branch campus at the
Bankruptcy, closure, and Legacy Foundation
Due to financial problems and decreasing enrollment,
After the bankruptcy of the university in 1998, the liquidation of assets yielded $3 million in funds for the formation of the Phillips University Legacy Foundation, which, in honoring the legacy of the university, awards annual scholarships and provides leadership development opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students attending Disciples of Christ-related colleges and universities. From 2002 to 2020, the Legacy Foundation awarded over 2 million in scholarships to over 200 undergraduate and graduate students. They also administer leadership programs such as the Annual Leadership Development Conference and the Volunteer Leadership Projects.
The former campus was purchased in June 1999 by Northern Oklahoma College (NOC), a public college, for $6.1 million (split $1.9 million paid by the city of Enid, $800,000 by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and $3.4 million by NOC).[20] NOC, based in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, phased the entire property into use as a satellite campus.[20]
Notable people
Alumni
- Joseph Bunn– Professional basketball player
- James Clark Brown - Minister (Cleveland Park, San Francisco, Carmel Valley)
- Merwin Coad – U.S. Iowa Representative
- Pete Earley – Journalist and author
- theologian, elected president of the Society of Biblical Literature for 2016[21]
- Carol Hamilton - Oklahoma Poet Laureate (1995-1997)
- Michael Hedges – Musician
- Shirley Knight – actress
- Julie Ledgerwood – Chief of the Clinical Trials Program at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, led first human trial to test the Ebola vaccine
- John Levi – Hominy Indians Football
- Pat Moran McCoy – Jazz pianist
- John Newbold Happy Camp – U.S. Oklahoma Representative
- Daniel Nicholson – Assistant Professor of Legal Research and Writing, University of Oklahoma College of Law
- Bill Owen – New York Giants football player
- Steve Owen – New York Giants Head Coach (1930–1953)
- Susan Pamerleau, retired United States Air Force major general and the Republican sheriff of Bexar County, first woman elected, 2012; Phillips trustee and recipient of honorary doctorate degree[22]
- Oral Roberts – Televangelist
- Doug Roby – U.S. Olympic Committee President
- Lawrence Schovanec - Texas Tech University President
- Everett Shelton – University of Wyoming basketball coach
- Jim Spainhower – Missouri State Treasurer
- Henry E. Stubbs – U.S. California Representative
- Harold Taft – "The World's Greatest Weatherman"
- Bess Truitt - Oklahoma Poet Laureate (1945-1963)
- NBA basketball player for Houston Rockets
- James W. Valentine – Paleontologist
- George H. Wilson – U.S. Oklahoma Representative
Faculty
- Bill Quayle, tennis coach and associate professor from 1972 to 1979; left to become athletics director at Emporia State University from 1979 to 1999.
References
- ^ Rockwell, Stella, ed., Garfield County, Oklahoma, 1907-1982, Vol. I, Garfield Historical Society, Josten's Publishing Company, Topeka, Kansas. 1982. pg 26-27
- ^ a b Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture Archived 2012-11-19 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma Historical Society Online Edition, Oklahoma State University Library Electronic Publishing Center
- ^ "Mrs. Stettinius Christens Ship", The Oakland Tribune, May 27, 1945, pg A-7
- ^ Burke, Bob, and Franks, Kenny, "Oklahoma Christian University", In Reverence We Stand: Memories of Phillips University, Oklahoma Heritage Association, 2003
- ^ a b McCash, Isaac Newton, History of Phillips University Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Our History". Phillips Theological Seminary. Archived from the original on 2018-12-19. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
- ^ "transcripts". Phillips University Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on 2016-07-09. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
- ^ Burke, Bob, and Franks, Kenny, "Presidents and Chancellors of Phillips University," In Reverence We Stand: Memories of Phillips University, Oklahoma Heritage Association, 2003, p. 183
- Syracuse Herald. 1917-06-29.
- ^ a b Jim Strain, The Iron Men Of Phillips Used Just 12 Players In Upsetting Mighty Texas Archived 2012-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, Sports Illustrated, October 19, 1981, Accessed June 4, 2010.
- ^ "A New Force in Football: Texas University Will Meet Phillips University in Austin". Corsicana Daily. 1919-10-10.
- ^ "Longhorns to Play Phillips Uni. October 11th". San Antonio Evening News. 1919-09-13.
- ^ "Texas, Unable to Score, Bows to Haymakers, Phillips University Blanks Longhorns on Muddy Field 10 to 0". San Antonio Light. 1919-10-12.
- ^ "College Elevens Busy Today". The Galveston Daily News. 1919-11-08.
- ^ Enid News & Eagle, July 31, 2001, page 27
- ^ "Excerpts from "In Reverence We Stand – Memories of Phillips University"". Archived from the original on 2016-08-09. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
- ^ "Phillips University Plans New Campus in Japan". Oklahoman.com. 1989-03-05. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- ^ "Phillips University Sues Japanese Firm for Course Payments". Oklahoman.com. 1992-08-22. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- ^ Desperately seeking students. Chronicle of Higher Education. June 21, 1996
- ^ a b c Northern Oklahoma College moves on Enid campus Archived 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, June 18, 1999.
- ^ "Google Scholar". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ "A Lifetime of Dedicated Service: Sheriff Susan Lewellyn Pamerleau, Major General (Ret.)". University of Wyoming. September 2013. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
Further reading
- Burke, Bob, In Reverence We Stand: Memories of Phillips University, Oklahoma Heritage Association, 2003
- Marshall, Frank Hamilton, Phillips University's First Fifty Years Volume One: The Early Days of Phillips University, 1957
- Marshall, Frank Hamilton and Powell, Wilfred E., Phillips University's First Fifty Years Volume Two: the Turbulent Middle Decades, 1960
- Marshall, Frank Hamilton and Martin, Robert G., Phillips University's First Fifty Years Volume Three: the Period of Greatest Advance, 1967