Hall of Fame Member Biographies

Charles Dan Procter

Dr. Charles Dan Procter served as the sixth president of the Oklahoma College for Women from 1943 to 1958. President Procter masterfully guided the Oklahoma College for Women through World War II. Procter headed up a state committee to sell bonds to finance the war effort. As a result, he forged several initiatives that benefited his institution. His efforts are reflective today on the now named University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma library, Fine Arts building, Student Union, Gary Hall, and the Historic Administration building, Austin Hall. In 1939, Procter was elected as the president of the Oklahoma Educational Association, and in 1942 he was appointed to the State Board of Education. The following year, the University of Oklahoma College of Education faculty chose Procter as the outstanding doctoral student of the year. In 1943, he was appointed as president of the Oklahoma College of Women. With enrollment depressed due to the departure of women to work in war-related activities, Procter forged a relationship with the Seven Sisters, the Oklahoma College for Women counterparts among state colleges for women. As a result, he was appointed by the federal government to head a state committee to help the college through this time of international crisis. Procter was instrumental in creating the Greater Oklahoma College of Women Committee, a local support group charged with promoting the college and providing scholarships to deserving students. Though Procter’s tenure only spanned 15 years, they were some of the most prolific architecturally, financially and resourcefully in the history of the Oklahoma College for Women.