Kate Galt Zaneis

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Kate Galt Zaneis
Photo of Kate Galt Zaneis.jpg
President of Southeastern Oklahoma State Teachers College
In office
1935–1937

Zaneis' tenure in the role was short and not without controversy, beginning when she appointed her favorite instructor, Dr. Everett Fixley, as dean, and continuing with the firing of faculty members without master's degrees. Furthermore, the salaries of the higher-paid men on staff were cut to adjust the pay scale of female faculty members, causing problems with townspeople. Successes included the securing of Public Works Administration funds to improve buildings and athletic fields on campus; mandatory political donations from faculty were ended, enrollment increased by 30%, and student work programs were funded.

She secured a speaking appearance by Eleanor Roosevelt. But public sentiment in Oklahoma was turning against the New Deal, and with the men of the faculty upset the State Board of Education fired Zaneis from her post in May 1937. [2] Another woman would not be named to the school's presidency until Joe Anna Hibbler took the position in 1991. [5]

Zaneis' firing inspired the formation of the Women's Democratic Council, a group of local activists who believed she was fired because of her gender; Zaneis led the group, which advocated for women's participation in politics, for six years. [3]

Later life

Zaneis continued her work in her chosen field, serving as director of education for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and working on the state's school lunch program, first through the Oklahoma Department of Public Welfare and later through the Oklahoma Department of Education. In later years, she transferred between various state agencies, including a stint with the newly formed Civil Defense Agency in the 1950s, before retiring in 1963 and moving back to her native Ardmore with Brent. In 1973, Brent died unexpectedly of a sudden fall; Zaneis was distraught over her death and never recovered. [3] [1]

She died on September 9, 1973, at Ardmore Memorial Hospital, aged 86. She was buried in Ardmore's Rosehill Cemetery. [2] A school in Carter County, erected in 1923, was named for Zaneis, [6] while her portrait, painted by Southeastern Oklahoma State Teachers College faculty member Minnie Baker, is displayed at the Oklahoma Historical Society. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Deborah Bouziden (February 5, 2013). More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Oklahoma Women. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 137–. ISBN   978-0-7627-9386-0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Zaneis, Kate Galt - The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture". okhistory.org. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Beach, Linda Arlene (July 1976). Kate Galt Zaneis: First Lady of Education in Oklahoma (PDF) (MS). Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  4. Warner, Jean (February 20, 2007). "Okie Women (Oklahoma Women's Network): Kate Galt Zaneis" . Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  5. "Southwestern College Chief Reviews Year Leader Promised to Not Sit Still". newsok.com. February 16, 1992. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  6. "40th Zaneis School Reunion Set Saturday". newsok.com. April 1, 1996. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  7. Harris, Allison. "Durant art show honors former SOSU art professor". Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.