In the late 19th century there were two main Presbyterian schools in Oklahoma, both of which were created to be mission schools to the Choctaw Nation. One was created by “southern” Presbyterians (PCUS), the other by “northern” Presbyterians (PCUSA). The latter was originally located in Muskogee, the Henry Kendall College, and eventually moved to Tulsa and in September 1907 became the University of Tulsa (two months before Oklahoma became a state). That school continues to flourish today.
It is, however, on the former, the PCUS school, that this column will focus. One of the inspirations for the subject of this column is Eugenia (“Genie”) Hopper Zavaleta, a faithful member of the PHSSW for many years. She entered the Church Triumphant on April 6, 2019 at the age of 92 years. A graduate of Texas Tech University (BA) and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (MCE), She also did graduate work at Union Seminary in New York and New Mexico State University. She served as the Director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church in Lubbock, the Presbytery of El Paso, and the Synod of Oklahoma.
Genie had a passion for Christian Education and sent many materials in her possession on the Presbyterian College in Durant to this writer in hopes that that school’s story would not be forgotten.
In 1894 the Home Mission Committee of the PCUS established the Calvin Institute in Durant, Oklahoma. The land for it was purchased by Calvin James Ralston, a Scottish Presbyterian missionary. As the land purchase was being finalized, Ralston learned that his son, Calvin James Ralston, Jr. had drowned.
The Institute was named in his memory. It was sponsored by both the Home Missions Committee and the Choctaw Presbytery.
The school soon experienced serious financial difficulties and was turned over to Mary Semple and her son. Ms. Semple had come as a missionary to the Choctaw Nation in 1857. She had taught at Wheelock Academy where she not only taught Choctaw Indians English, but she also became fluent in the Choctaw language. She went on to teach at the Bennington Mission Station where she met her husband, Henry Hotchkin.
By 1901 she and her son, Ebenezer Hotchkin, who later became an ordained Presbyterian minister, had reformed the curriculum and had pared back both enrollment and finances, so that the school could continue. She is generally credited with having saved the school. In 1901 the school’s name was changed to Durant Presbyterian College. It prospered so much that, having over 300 students, it had to consider expansion. It offered Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Literature, and Bachelor of Science degrees.
By 1910 the College was no longer coeducational. It became known as the Oklahoma Presbyterian College for Girls. While it had always had both white and Indian students, most of the students were Choctaw Indians. In 1914 there were fourteen faculty members, one of whom, Edward Baxter Perry, was from Leipzig, Germany and had studied under Franz Liszt.
Because of increased expenses, in 1916 the school no longer offered bachelor degrees and instead offered three-year diplomas. By 1920 the school reduced its offering to two-year associate degree program. From December 1931 to December 1934 the OPC basketball team, “made up of Oklahoma farm girls”, won 88 consecutive games. Using an off-campus gymnasium, practices were held from 4-6 a.m.
Financial support came primarily from the PCUS and individuals. However, such support dwindled even more during the Depression. By 1935 the Oklahoma Presbyterian College had entered into a relationship with Southeastern Normal College which left OPC to focus on religious and music education. In 1955 the
OPC resumed being a coeducational institution. However, by 1966 the school had to close due to the rising cost of higher education. The building remained vacant until 1975. After being occupied by various organizations, it finally became the office of the Choctaw Nation.
There is no longer an Oklahoma Presbyterian College in Durant. Nevertheless, efforts by such persons as Calvin Ralston and Mary Semple Hotchkin, among many others, played an important role in educating young men and women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We give thanks to God also for persons like Genie Zavaleta who worked hard to make sure that that school’s legacy was preserved.
Over the centuries many churches are organized. Some last, many do not, but the kind of witness to the gospel that they bear while alive should not be diminished by the number of years a church or an institution remains open.
The Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest encourages individuals and congregations to research and remember their past, giving thanks “for all the saints who from their labors rest”, for they have made a powerful contribution to who we are and they challenge us to make our own witness to God’s grace and love as revealed in Jesus Christ.
