Wichita Falls Junior College
Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Although private junior colleges were operating in Texas before the 1900s, similar public institutions were not started until the 1920s. The first, Wichita Falls Junior College, began here in 1922, seven years before the adoption of related state legislation. Developed as part of the city school system under the direction of Superintendent Randolph Lee Clark, it opened with fifty-five students, ten teachers, and a curriculum of seven subjects. Early classes were held in the high school building at this site. Planning for a separate junior college campus began in 1928 when Burkburnett educational philanthropists John G. Hardin and his wife Mary offered a matching grant for construction of new facilities. Despite the economic depression of the 1930s, the necessary funds were raised and another site was donated by local residents W. B. Hamilton and N. H. Martin. Renamed Hardin Junior College in honor of the school's benefactors, the institution was relocated by 1938 when the new buildings were completed. In the 1940s the school became a state-supported four-year college. Renamed Midwestern University in 1950, it has been an instrumental factor in the growth and development of Wichita Falls. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Wichita Falls Junior College opened in 1922, it was the first public junior college in Texas — founded seven years before the state even passed enabling legislation. Begun within the city school system under Superintendent Randolph Lee Clark, it started with fifty-five students and ten teachers meeting in the high school. Philanthropists John G. and Mary Hardin funded a new campus, and the renamed Hardin Junior College grew into a state four-year school, becoming Midwestern University in 1950.
Why it matters
It pioneered the public two-year college in Texas, a distinctly American institution that opened higher education to ordinary working families.
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Related people
- · Randolph Lee Clark
- · John G. Hardin
- · Mary Hardin
Themes & tags
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