Holter Hall

The State of Oklahoma appropriated monies—$525,000—to construct a women’s dormitory on the Panhandle State College (PSC) campus in 1963. The first group of women students to live in Holter Hall arrived in 1963. The three-story typical dormitory-style building housed 160 residents and originally had no name except “Women’s Residence Hall.” In 1965, $580,000 was earmarked to expand the dormitory, but construction did not begin until 1968. The construction doubled the size of the building by adding a north wing for an additional 150 residents. Now, with the south and north wings connected with a commons area, the building took its distinctive “H”-shape.

In 1969, the Board of Regents for Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges officially named the structure Holter Hall to honor long-time faculty member, Ethel Holter. Miss Holter came to Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College (PAMC) in 1936 and retired in 1963. During her tenure; she taught English; served as the Dean of Women; and sponsored the campus newspaper, The Collegian. During World War II, when the college suspended the publication of the newspaper, she and her journalism students printed News as the campus publication.

Holter Hall has undergone some renovations, but not all due to the whims of designers and architects. In 1974, a first-floor room suffered $34,000 worth of damage from a fire. In 1979, a tornado ripped through Goodwell, and the strong winds tossed a travel trailer through windows in the building. No one received any injuries in either incident.