Katherine Rader, shown here in 1963 during her years on the English faculty at Oklahoma Baptist University, earned three degrees at OU, including her PhD in English in 1951.

A University of Oklahoma alumna and beloved teacher who instilled an appreciation for English and literature in countless students during her long career in Oklahoma higher education will continue to touch generations of students through a $1.23 million estate gift to OU.

The bequest from the late Katherine Rader will be divided equally among the departments of English, history, and classics and letters. The funds will be endowed to provide support in perpetuity.

A Norman native, Rader was the only child of Mary Frances “Fannie” and Jesse Lee Rader, a member of the OU Class of 1908.  Mr. Rader became OU’s librarian in 1909, continuing in that position until his retirement in 1951.  He also served as the first director of the School of Library Science, established in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1929.

“This thoughtful and exceptional gift means so much to the University of Oklahoma because it comes from a dedicated, much-loved educator and scholar whose family was an important part of OU’s early-day history,” said OU President David L. Boren.

Rader was an outstanding student, selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board, Alpha Lambda Delta and Sigma Tau Delta honorary societies.  She earned three degrees from OU: her bachelor’s degree in library science in 1936, a master’s degree in English in 1940 and her Ph.D. in English in 1951. 

She began her professional career in 1936 as reference librarian at Northwestern State College (now Northwestern Oklahoma State University) in Alva, where she also served on the English faculty. 

She joined the English faculty of Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee in 1944 and rose to full professor in 1955.  From 1967 to 1980, Rader served as professor of English at Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma) in Edmond.

By teaching students to write and to appreciate literature, Rader hoped to contribute to their well-rounded education so that they might lead richer lives as individuals. Rader died in October 2005 at the age of 90.