Jessie Olive Thatcher Bost (December 16, 1875 – February 14, 1963)[a] was the first female graduate of Oklahoma State University. Bost was born in Guthrie Center, Iowa,[b] Her family moved to Stillwater in 1891, then part of Oklahoma Territory, and she enrolled in a university, then known as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) College, when it opened later that year. She graduated in 1897, alongside two male students in the university's second graduating class.[c] After graduation, Bost worked as a public school teacher in Stillwater. Bost remained involved with the university and became the first president of its Alumni Association in 1902 and the Half-Century Club in 1954. The university named its first female dormitory "Jessie Thatcher Hall for Bost when it opened in 1925.[2][3]
Jessie Thatcher Bost | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jessie Olive Thatcher December 16, 1875 Guthrie Center, Iowa |
| Died | February 14, 1963 (aged 87)[1] Stillwater, Oklahoma |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Known for | First female student admitted to Oklahoma A&M University (now Oklahoma State University) |
Marriage and family
editJessie married Henry A. Bost, a fellow student, on July 16, 1902. They continued to live in Stillwater until 1907. Meanwhile, the couple had four children and moved to Alva in 1908. As soon as she settled in Alva, she organized a Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) and was elected chairman of the Northwest PTA.[2][d]
Jessie Bost interrupted her career in education and spent full time raising children. She and Henry had two sons, Armon Henry (1909-2004) and William Rufus (1916-1944).[1][e]
Bost was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1997.[4]
Notes
edit- ^ The exact date of Bost's death is not known, according to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.[2]
- ^ Only one genealogical source (Find-a-Grave) gives an exact death date and identifies her parents as John William Thatcher (1850-1950) and Mary Frany Romig (1852-1930)[1]
- ^ A case of typhoid fever had prevented her from graduating with the first class in 1896.[3]
- ^ One source states that the Bosts spent 1907 homesteading in the western part of Oklahoma.[3]
- ^ However, the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture states that the Bosts had four children (three of whom attended Oklahoma A&M). It also states that she retired from teaching in 1946.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Jessie Olive Thatcher Bost." Find-a-Grave. 2005. Accessed March 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Bost, Jessie Olive Thatcher (1875-1963)". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Jessie Thatcher Bost". Oklahoma State University Library. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
- ^ "Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Inductees". Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
External links
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