Oldfather Hall

Oldfather Hall is named for Charles Henry Oldfather, a professor of Ancient History from 1926-1932, after which he became the dean of the college of Arts and Sciences from 1932-1951 when he retired. Born in Persia to missionary parents, Charles Oldfather was raised in Indiana where he received most of his higher education at hanover College before attending the University of Munich. After graduating he proceeded to teach at a number of colleges in Indiana while obtaining his PhD at the University of Wisconsin. In 1926 Oldfather moved his family to Nebraska to teach Ancient History at UNL. During his time as a professor at UNL he published a number of papers, translated documents, and became involved in a number of different social organizations. According to sources he was a well known and well liked man on campus, at one point described by Chancellor Burnett as being, “a man of fine education, a popular teacher and has a rather more judicial temperament, I think, than Dean Hicks.”

 

The building named for Oldfather was opened in 1970 and built to house the College of arts and Sciences, of which Oldfather had been dean.  The twelve story building was one of the first two skyscrapers built on the UNL campus in order to accommodate the largely increasing population of baby boomer students during that time period.  While some argue the architecture of the building is not reflective of Oldfather’s personal tastes, the building has served its purpose well, and remains in use on the campus today.