Campus History
Passing of Rae Murray
The Oakland City University community was shaken to find out that the former first lady of OCU, Rae Murray, passed away on Friday, April 26, 2024. Rae’s obituary reads as follows: Rae Arliss Murray, age 89, of Fosston, MN, passed away on Friday, April 26th, at Cornerstone Living in Fosston. A funeral service was held…
Read MoreOak Love
An old wives’ tale on campus is that if you kiss someone under the well, you will marry that person one day. Whether that is true or not, only the well knows for sure. But we know that many people attend OCU and meet the love of their lives. We asked alums and current students…
Read MoreMelba Phillips – Oppenheimer Colleague and OCU Alumni
Perhaps you have wondered about the historical marker that sets on the Oakland City University campus. It celebrates a person who was perhaps our most famous alumnus, Melba Phillips. Melba graduated from Oakland City College in 1926 and went on to become a famous international woman physicist. She was Professor Robert Oppenheimer’s first graduate student…
Read More“I Owed God Everything” – Dr. James Murray and OCU
James W. Murray’s many accomplishments as president of Oakland City University were easily enough to make him legendary. When he came to Oakland City College in the fall of 1974, after retiring from the Marine Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel, the school teetered on the verge of collapse, strapped with falling enrollment, a lack of…
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