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Books saved from the fire














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by Holly Swigart









Russ Hall after the fire

 



Odella Nation - Librarian and Super Hero
by Holly Swigart      August 12, 2022


On a stormy night in June, 1914, Odella was trying to sleep, but not having much luck. Her apartment on South Broadway in Pittsburg, Kansas, was directly across the street from Russ Hall where she worked as Librarian for the State Manual Training Normal School. Odella had been with the school from day one. When the Normal School first opened in 1903, there were only five faculty members and she was one of them. Recently, Odella had been working long hours compiling the school's biennial reports, and if there was one thing she could really use right now, it was a good night's sleep. But the thunderstorm was so loud that she finally gave up and got out of bed. She went to the window and stood watching the storm that was keeping her awake. With each flash of lightning, the night sky lit up, revealing a silhouette of Russ Hall. Suddenly, a giant flash of lightning and a booming crash of thunder made her jump. Within minutes Russ Hall was engulfed in flames.
Odella quickly grabbed her clothes and without hesitation ran as fast as she could, straight to the burning building. Her only thought was that she might be able to save something. She ran through the darkness and the raging storm to the engine rooms and found a ladder. Although the ladder was not quite long enough for the task, she somehow managed to get a second floor window open and scrambled inside the smoke-filled room where the records were kept. She tried to hurry and yet remain calm as the fire continued to spread, and the fire department had not yet arrived. Odella knew every inch of the office, so she was able to quickly find what she was looking for, even in the dark. An eerie red glow was visible in the night sky for miles around, and soon other neighbors and students started to arrive on the scene. Odella handed books and papers out the window to those who came to help. Because of her bravery and unbelievably quick action, many of the school's records were saved. But the night wasn't over, and events were about to take an even darker turn.
Rex Tanner was a familiar face when he came running up to the burning building, eager to help in any way. Tanner was well known and popular around campus. Odella knew him as a student from her hometown of Erie, Kansas. People said that Rex lived and breathed the Normal School. Any event associated with the school would find him in attendance. He often led cheers at sporting events. The night of the fire, Rex reached Russ Hall at about the same time as the fire dept. A downed power line was crackling and dancing like a snake on the ground, and the horses pulling the fire wagon got spooked. As the horses frantically thrashed about, two of the firemen were knocked to the ground and injured. Rex Tanner tried to help get the horses under control, but when he reached for the harness, he was electrocuted along with one of the horses. They were both killed instantly.
As dawn was breaking, Russ Hall stood in smoldering ruins and worse still, young Rex Tanner had lost his life trying to lend a hand during the chaos. It was a devastating blow to the school and the community. Rex was 23 years old, and had recently become principal at Weir City High School. Thousands of people, including the governor, turned out for Tanner's memorial services both in Pittsburg and in his hometown of Erie where he was laid to rest.
After the fire, every single student enrolled in the summer session chose to remain on campus and finish their classes, whatever the circumstances. There were only two main campus buildings in 1914, Russ Hall and the newly constructed Industrial Arts Building, which would later be named Whitesitt. The Pittsburg community rallied, and pooled their resources to support the students of the Normal School. Some of the downtown businesses offered space for temporary classrooms, and tents were set up on campus as well. "Fill Up That Back Seat!" was the slogan first coined by the President of the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Rogers. The idea caught on, and many of the townspeople started offering students rides to and from campus. What's more, it took only one month for the people of Pittsburg to raise over $100,000 to be used as a loan for rebuilding Russ Hall. Waiting for the legislature to act on funding was not an option. With the community united behind this singular goal, construction work on Russ Hall was able to begin immediately, and at least part of the building would be open by September for the beginning of the fall term.
Odella spent the rest of that summer working to restore the library. A few books had been salvaged, but many were too damaged to be usable. However, the biennial reports that she had rescued got turned in on time and complete, although some of the pages were a little scorched. Odella also spent considerable time searching for housing for the students who were expected to arrive in September. She put the word out in local newspapers urging anyone who might be willing to house a student to please call the Normal School immediately. "Have you rooms to rent to Normalites?" was the headline.
Odella Nation grew up in Erie, Kansas, where she began her education at the Neosho County Normal School, along with her sister, Dora, who also became a teacher. Her brother, James was superintendent of schools in Erie. But by far, the most famous member of the family was aunt Carrie Nation, the temperance activist known as "Hatchet Granny." Carrie Nation claimed that divine inspiration moved her to march into bars and sing hymns while smashing liquor bottles with her hatchet. She also worked to help the poor with clothing and meals, and created one of the first battered women's shelters for wives and children of alcoholics. Odella seemed to enjoy celebrating the legacy of her famous aunt. At least rumor has it that Odella kept a tiny hatchet in her own purse.
Odella went on to complete a degree at Emporia and earned a certificate from the Kansas City Business College. She was 22 years old in 1903 when Russell S. Russ hired her to be the first Librarian at what was then the State Manual Training Normal School and is now Pittsburg State University. Principal Russ was a pioneer in education who founded the school with the purpose of training teachers to be able to teach vocational skills to high school students, something that was unheard of at the time. As high school principal, Russ had seen the high rate of drop outs. He firmly believed that if the high school students were learning valuable vocational skills, they would be more likely to stay in school. In fact, he coined the term "Industrial Arts." When the Manual Training Normal School first opened its doors, it was unique.
At the beginning, the school library contained about a dozen books. But the role of librarian was only one of the many hats Odella Nation wore in order to earn her $50 a month salary. She also taught business and office management classes, served as financial secretary, housing director, and secretary to Principal Russ. But the library was her pride and joy. Year after year, she worked to expand and improve it. After 24 years, Odella's library finally got a building of its own when Porter Hall was constructed in 1927.
For decades, Odella was the resident expert on pretty much anything to do with the college. Visitors to campus who had any kind of questions were directed to her office. During her 48 years as Head Librarian, Odella Nation served under 5 different college presidents. She saw the Normal School transform into Kansas State Teachers College, and watched it grow from a single building to more than a dozen. When she retired in 1951, she was the last living member of the original 5 faculty, and she is by far, the longest serving Librarian in PSU's history. Odella Nation poured her heart and soul into her work. She went above and beyond for the school and for the students, helping in any way that she could. And she spent every single day doing what she loved.
Russ Hall was, of course, completely rebuilt and remains the heart of the PSU campus today. The University honored both Odella Nation and Rex Tanner by naming student residence halls after each of them. Tanner Hall was erected in 1954 and Nation Hall was completed in 1962.
Photos courtesy of Special Collections, Axe Library, Pittsburg State University
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