History

Almost from its beginning, Oklahoma State University has had an official campus newspaper, produced for and by its students. The first issue was distributed May 15, 1895, and had a circulation of 142, total enrollment at that time of OSU’s predecessor, Oklahoma A&M College.

Since then the newspaper has published continuously under several different names and formats: The College Mirror, monthly, 1895-1899; The College Paper, monthly, 1899-1907; The Orange and Black, weekly, 1907-1924; and The O’Collegian, semi-weekly, March through November, 1924.

At the start of the winter quarter — Dec. 1, 1924 — the paper began daily publication, raised its circulation to 2,983 and became the fifth college paper in the United States to join The Associated Press. However, it was 1927 before the word “daily” appeared on its nameplate, making it The Daily O’Collegian, the name it carries today.

The O’Collegian currently is ranked as one of the top newspapers in the country. In 1995, it received the National Newspaper Pacemaker Award, often considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism, and every year since 1989 has received All-America honors, the highest rating given by the Associated Collegiate Press and National Scholastic Press Association. In 2000, it was inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame in 2000.

It also produced in 1991 the National Story of the Year from ACP and the Los Angeles Times, in 1990 the National SPJ Sports Photo of the Year, in 1990 the first runner-up for College Journalist of the Year, and in 1991 the Distinguished Newspaper Adviser Award from College Media Advisers Inc. The O’Collegian also has won numerous other awards for journalism excellence from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Society of Professional Journalists, Southwestern Journalism Congress and Oklahoma City Gridiron.

The Daily O’Collegian has produced countless top-quality journalists since its founding in 1895. Early legends included Paul Miller, who became president of AP and chief executive of Gannett; Walker Stone, who became editor in chief of Scripps-Howard Alliance; and Chester Gould, creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip.

The O’Colly Online, the electronic version of the O’Collegian, was launched on the World Wide Web in 1995, began publishing daily at the beginning of the fall 1996 semester, and has recently been upgraded to offer audio and visual content.

An Editorial: Proud History

The Daily O’Collegian, Oklahoma State University’s student newspaper, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and the man who started it all would be amazed if he could review its record.Vol. 1, No. 1 appeared on May 15, 1895, as the Oklahoma A. and M. College Mirror. The masthead noted that it was “Published by the Literary Societies under the supervision of the College Press Bureau.”

The Mirror probably was named by Prof. Freeman E. Miller, Oklahoma’s first poet laureate, who occupied the English chair and served as public information chief in addition to other duties. He had been a student leader at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., where the school’s yearbook was known as The Mirror.

College “newspapers” of that era typically were in a small, literary magazine format. The Mirror carried essays, articles boosting the college, poems (including those of Prof. Miller) and short personal items. It predated a similar publication, The Umpire, at the University of Oklahoma by about two years.

Before it became The Daily O’Collegian in 1924, it carried a number of names: The College Paper, The Orange and Black and, finally, The O’Collegian. Late in its life, the Orange and Black changed from its literary magazine format to that of a broadsheet newspaper.

As it became a daily newspaper, the O’Collegian entered a select circle. It was only one of five college newspapers in the nation to hold membership in the Associated Press. The others were at the University of Illinois, Indiana University, the University of Iowa and Dartmouth College.

The O’Collegian and its predecessors have been the principal source of campus news for A. and M. and OSU students throughout the years. But in addition, they have contributed mightily to the journalism profession as a training ground for future reporters and editors.

Over the years, the names of former O’Collegian staffers have been sprinkled throughout Oklahoma’s newspapers — large and small — some as editors, some as reporters, others as feature writers and columnists. Many of the key members of the NewsPress news, advertising and production staffs have come from the O’Collegian.

On the national — and sometimes the international scene — such names as Paul Miller, Walker Stone, Earl Richert and Wauhillau LaHay were well known. Miller, who came to Oklahoma A. and M. College from Pawhuska, later became chief architect in creating the Gannett media empire while also serving as president of the Associated Press. Stone, from Okemah, gained fame as an editorial writer and editor-in-chief of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain. Richert, from Omega, succeeded Stone at Scripps-Howard. LaHay, an Indian lass from Muskogee, became a White House correspondent for Scripps-Howard, covering both Lady Bird Johnson and Pat Nixon.

In the book world, ex-O’Collegian staffers Tom Heggen, George Milburn and Marion Marle Woodson gained fame. Heggen’s book, “Mr. Roberts,” became a smash hit on Broadway and later was converted to the big screen with Henry Fonda in the title role.

Chester Gould, the son of a Pawnee printer who later moved to Stillwater, got his start as a cartoonist on student publications at A. & M. He created “Dick Tracy,” one of the most successful strips in newspaper history.

In the motion picture world, ex-Aggie journalists Clifford Smith and Bev Bennett stood out. Smith was an outstanding director of western pictures for Universal Studios, while Bennett handled publicity for such stars as John Wayne and Gene Autry. Much of Autry’s early popularity was due to Bennett’s skill in bringing him to the attention of fans both here and overseas.

In broadcasting, advertising, public relations and promotion, a lengthy list of A&M-OSU former students and graduates could be compiled.

The NewsPress offers congratulations to the O’Collegian for its century of news and for the contributions its former staff members have made to journalism. Our relations with the paper have been cordial through the years, each offering the other ready back-up facilities when production emergencies have occurred. That cooperation will continue as we approach a new century.