Thursday, Oct. 24, 1963 University Daily Kansan
4
Page 9
Law Professor Conducts Hootenannies at Home
By Charles Corcoran
Charles H. Oldfather
When Charles H. Oldfather, KU law professor of law, persuades a student to sing, it's to a guitar, and not a judge.
Prof. Oldfather, who has been at KU since 1950, is a man of many talents.
His father, Charles H. Oldfather,
Sr., dean of the College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences at University of
Nebraska for many years, was an
amateur guitarist.
"I LISTENED to him play and sing since I was this high." Prof. Oldfather said, holding his hand about three feet from the floor. When he was in the Navy during World War II he picked it up.
One of his proudest possessions is the Gibson guitar made in 1908 that his father bought in Chicago second-hand store for $30.
"I sing mostly American and English folk songs. I look into the background of the songs to know how they should be sung and that's it. I sing purely for pleasure," he said.
Prof. Oldfather has sung at many functions both on and off campus in the years that he has been at KU.
"I SANG AT Corbin Hall last weekend. I sing for various groups quite frequently," he said.
The professor was born in Crawfordsville, Ind., in 1920, but grew up in Lincoln, Neb. He was graduated from Holchkiss Preparatory School in Lakeville, Conn., in 1937
"I was one of the Midwestern scholarship boys," he said. "The scholarships were one way the school attracted boys from across the country. It was a pretty good piece of change, $1,500 a year. Of course, I had to wait tables for four years."
He attended Harvard for two years, 1937-39, and lettered in track and cross country there. He then transferred to the University of Nebraska where he was graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1941.
HE SPENT THE following semester at Nebraska doing graduate work in political science. The next semester he went to Chicago to enter the Navy Officer Training School.
"They called us the 90-day wonders, although it took 120 days," he said. "I was married the day I received my commission, May 14, 1942."
The professor met his wife on a blind date.
"I was a senior in prep school (1937)and my sister got me a date with this Theta pledge," he said smiling.
Prof. Oldfather lives on a 125-acre farm six miles southwest of Lawrence. He and his wife have seven children ranging from ages 6 to 20.
"EVERY DINNER at our house is
like homecoming with that mob," he said.
The Oldfathers' oldest daughter, Felicia Oldfather, 20, is president of the student body at Carleton College, Fairfield, Minn.
After his service as an ordinance and gunnery instructor ashore and later as gunnery officer aboard an aircraft carrier during the war, Prof. Oldfather returned to Harvard in 1945 to enter the School of Law. He was graduated, went to Wisconsin and passed the state bar examination in 1948. He had practiced law there for nearly three years when he came to KU as an assistant professor of law in 1950.
IN 1953, HE WAS promoted to associate professor. He's been a full professor since 1958, the same year that he was elected to the KU Athletic Board.
He was secretary of the Athletic Board up to his year when he was appointed chairman.
In addition to being the board's presiding officer, he serves as the chancellor's representative to the board and is responsible directly to the chancellor for the operation of the athletic program.
"Ive always been interested in athletics," he said. "But since I was about 35 I've noticed that it takes me about a week to throw off a sore
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The 6'4" professor rubbed his right arm. "I'm not as athletic as I used to be," he said.
He pointed out a plaque hanging on the wall over his desk. "It's the first annual 'Supreme Order of Barristers' award. It's awarded to the law professor who gives the toughest tests at the KU School of Law Funday. You might say I showed it with some amusement," he said.
Prof. Oldfather's office in Green Hall is cluttered with books and papers.
"I'm working on annotations of portions of the Uniform Commercial Code," he said. 'It's the suggested uniform law covering the whole area of commercial law which has been adopted in 25 states.
"I'm working in conjunction with the research department of the legislative council of the Kansas Legislature . . . and it looks like I'll be at it all year."
Baxter Springs Man Top Junior
Terry Alan Miller, Baxter Springs junior, has been awarded the Grace Caroline Eaton Scholarship for being the outstanding junior man in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The award, comparable to the Paul B. Lawson award to the outstanding College senior, was made by the Summerfield Scholarship committee.
The scholarship, given for the first time this year, was established in honor of Miss Grace Caroline Eaton. Prior to Miss Eator's death in 1961, she was one of the oldest living KU alumni, having graduated in 1893.
Miss Eaton left a portion of her estate to KU, the income from which is to be awarded to an outstanding male student in the College. The
award is based on the recipient's first two years of work at KU. The scholarship will assist him in his last two years in school.
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