Knowing Nebraska and UNO
UNO owned a farm? There’s a Maverick Lake in the Sandhills? UNO had cattle and herded them to western Nebraska ranches? If you didn’t know those little tidbits, then you just might not realize how connected UNO is throughout Nebraska. UNO might be the state’s metropolitan university, but it assists numerous rural efforts from the Platte to the Panhandle and all points between.
Many of those initiatives are illustrated throughout the summer issue of UNO Magazine. Here are a few more ways Nebraska and UNO are connected
WHEN OMAHA U. OWNED A FARM — AND DREAM OF AN OIL STRIKE
Black gold fever can be hard to shake, so when oil was discovered in Nebraska’s Kimball County in the 1950s, even the University of Omaha had dreams of cashing in on “bubblin’ crude.”
OU had owned 160 acres of Kimball farmland since 1934, acquiring it via foreclosure from defendant Alfred Watson. “It looks like OU loaned some of its endowment funds for a farm mortgage,” says UNO Archivist Les Valentine. “When the loan defaulted, OU got the farm.”
The quarter section of land, located just south of the town of Kimball, was worth $1,700 then. The university leased it for 20 years for wheat farming.
Beginning in 1950, though, Kimball landowners discovered oil-bearing sands thousands of feet beneath their crops — including farms neighboring OU’s spread.
University officials got to drilling. In July 1954 OU contracted Rogers Oil to explore its property. By August the company had gone 6,440 feet deep. Telegraphs reporting moist earth, “aroused a flurry of excitement at the University,” reported the Alumni Newsletter.
But no oil was found. The drilling was abandoned and wheat farming resumed. The 1957 crop brought $700 to OU coffers.
In 1958, Kimball resident L.L. Nickle thought the land could yield even more. At public auction, he won the rights to lease the property from OU and drill again. OU would receive one-eighth royalties on oil and gas.
Once more, drilling came up bust.
In September 1961, the land was sold to Fern A. Jones for $5,760. University Regents recommended that proceeds fund the “Kimball County Greenhouse” on campus. The deed mentions the university retains one-half interest in oil, gas and mineral rights.
Kimball would become known as the “Oil Capital of Nebraska,” producing the most barrels in the state in 1960. Today, State Highway 71 borders OU’s former Kimball Farm to the east. To the north is Interstate 80 and an abandoned Burger King.
TRES SENATORS
Three of the men elected to represent Nebraska as a U.S. Senator were educated at UNO — and two of them have roots west of Omaha. The trio:
Roman Lee Hruska, one of Nebraska’s longest-serving U.S. Senators having served from 1954 to 1976. A native of David City, Nebraska, Hruska attended then-University of Omaha from 1923-1925.
J. James Exon, senator from 1979 to 1997. An Omaha U. student from 1939 until he entered World War II, Exon also was Nebraska governor from 1971-1979.
Chuck Hagel, U.S. Senator from 1997 to 2009. Born in North Platte, Nebraska, Hagel was raised across Nebraska, living at different times in Ainsworth, Rushville, Scottsbluff, Terrytown, York and Columbus. He later served as U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2013-2015. He graduated from UNO in 1971.
TALLEST IN THE STATE
The University of Nebraska at Kearney has one. So does the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. But even if you stacked them on top of each other, the bell towers on those two campuses wouldn’t measure up to UNO’s 168-foot-tall Henningson Memorial Campanile. Few do, in fact — UNO’s landmark, dedicated in 1989, is among the tallest clock towers in the world. Here’s the breakdown just in Nebraska:
UNK Carillon Tower 66 feet tall
UNL Mueller Tower 84 feet
UNO Henningson Campanile 168 feet
Pictured: The University of Nebraska Foundation in 2007 commissioned UNO art Professor Gary Day to sketch “Tower Hill” reflecting the towers (from left) at UNO, UNK and UNL.
MISS NEBRASKA
Vanita Mae Brown really started something. Brown in 1949 was a sophomore at Omaha University majoring in speech and dramatics. And beauty pageant titles. First she was crowned Miss South Omaha. Then Miss Omaha. Finally, Miss Nebraska. She took the last crown to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where she competed in the famous Miss America finals. Brown was the first of 18 UNO students or graduates to hold one Nebraska title or another.
Here they are:
Miss Nebraska America
Vanita Mae Brown, 1949; Debbie Sullivan, 1970; Evelyn Rahm, 1979; Jodi Miller, 1988; Ashley Bauer, 2007; Marion Watson, 1976
Miss Nebraska USA
Lori Lynn Novicki, 1982; Stacey Skidmore, 2002; Jessica Perea, 2003; Guerin Austin, 2004; Emily Poeschl, 2006; Michaela Johnson, 2008; Haley Jo Herold, 2011
Ms. Nebraska United States
Natalie McGovern, 2014
Miss Black Nebraska
Jantha Whitmore, 1975; Beverly Bray, 1976; Johndrea Whitmore, 1977; Bettye Brizendine, 1978
Many others have taken city crowns and are local titleholders from various pageant systems over the years.
WHERE UNRULY BULLS ARE SENT
Turns out bull sitting isn’t so easy. The UNO Alumni Association discovered that when it sponsored live bull mascots at home football games in the 1970s. First came Sudden Sam at Homecoming 1972. But that would be his only appearance as he proved too unruly for his handlers. Then-Alumni Association Director Jim Leslie hauled the steer to Fort Niobrara Refuge in Valentine and traded him for a 6-month-old 300-pound calf — Longhorn Steer, U.S. 324. Named Victor E. Maverick, he debuted in 1973. Three students selected as handlers, outfitted with black Stetsons and UNO windbreaker jackets, ran Victor E. onto the field following scores. Eventually, though, this little doggie would have to git along, too. Only he wasn’t so little. By 1977, Victor’s horns had spread to nearly six feet. And he’d become set in his ways. “Victor,” Leslie said, was “becoming quite ornery in his old age.” He was retired that year, to a farm in Arlington, Nebraska.
JOBS, SALES AND MORE
There’s more than a few folks in the state cashing paychecks — and spending them — thanks to the work of UNO’s Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC). According to a study by CBA Professor Christopher Decker:
• NBDC clients in 2017 created or retained 766 full-time-equivalent jobs in Nebraska, a jump from 605 jobs in 2016.
• A total of $221.3 million in sales by NBDC clients were attributed to NBDC efforts.
See more about the work of NBDC on pages 26-29.
KINGS OF “NEBRASKA” … WAIT, WE’VE GOT THAT BACKWARD
Yes, we know we live in a republic, but twice, Nebraska had a king in the top man at UNO.
Sort of.
Milo Bail, president of then-Omaha University from 1948 to 1964, became the first educator to rule the mythical realm of Quivera when he was crowned King Ak-Sar-Ben LXI in 1955.
Chancellor Emeritus Del Web, meanwhile, reigned in 1989.
DONORS BEYOND DOUGLAS
It’s no surprise that most alumni donors to UNO come from the university’s home seat of Douglas County (DC). Since UNO’s start, a whopping 48,871 alumni from DC have made at least one gift to their alma mater. But alumni from throughout the rest of the state also have been generous. All-time, alumni from 70 of Nebraska’s 93 counties have made at least one gift. Here’s the top 10, by number of alumni donors.
Douglas 48,871
Sarpy 10,639
Lancaster 2,542
Washington 1,948
Saunders 724
Cass 663
Dodge 304
Hall 263
Platte 195
Adams 131
MARKING HISTORY
Lots of Nebraska history has been made on UNO’s campus. But only one blast from the past has merited state recognition. Nebraska State Historical Marker 170 on UNO’s Scott Campus near the Peter Kiewit Institute commemorates the U.S. Postal Air Mail Service that began at that location at Ak-Sar-Ben Field May 15, 1920. A tornado in 1924 destroyed its hangar, but services already were being transferred to a new field at Fort Crook. The field still was being used as late as the 1940s, though, used for training during World War II.
PEOPLE … BY THE NUMBERS
What’s Nebraska look like? Not its rivers, hills, prairies, forests or other topographical features; rather, its people. Each year, UNO’s Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) presents a snapshot of Nebraska’s ever-changing population, doing so as the lead agency of the Nebraska State Data Center Network. CPAR on Aug. 15, 2017, hosted its 29th annual Nebraska Data Users Conference.
Here’s a look at some of CPAR’s work and analyses that show Nebraska’s people topography:
County Counts
Nebraska has 18 counties estimated to have gained population so far this decade (2010-2017), reversing population losses seen during the 2000s (2000-2007). Additionally, 49 of the state’s 93 counties lost population in both the early 2000s and early 2010s decades, but losses so far from 2010-2017 are less than what they were during 2000-2007, a positive development.
County Bounty
In 1950, Nebraska’s three most populated counties of Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy had just more than 30 percent of the state’s residents. By 2010, more than half the state’s population resided in those three counties. CPAR projects 56 percent of the state will be in those counties in the 2020 Census, meaning 27 of the state’s 49 unicameral senators will reside in those counties.
Facing the Nation
So far during the 2010s decade, Nebraska’s population growth rate is nearly identical to the U.S. average, trailing it by only a half percent. Since the 1900s, Nebraska has trailed the U.S. growth rate in every decade, often by 8 percent or more, with the best-ever prior performance being during the 2000s, when Nebraska was 3 percent less than the national growth rate.
More Boomers Than Babes
CPAR projects that by 2035, for the first time in the state’s history, there will be more Nebraskans aged 80 and older than under age 5.
We Work
Nebraska ranks in the top five states regarding most workforce metrics, including the labor force participation rate of those aged 65+.
Help Needed … Soon
CPAR population projections indicate the prime workforce aged 25-64 will peak in 2018 with around 965,000 individuals of that age. It then will decline over the next 10 years to less than 950,000, putting pressure on local labor markets.
Brain Drain
Nebraska ranks in the bottom 10 states regarding the net outmigration rate of those with a bachelor’s degree or more education. This “brain drain” has significant negative economic impacts.
Births in Nebraska
Nebraska has a top-five birth rate among the states. Regarding total fertility, Nebraska is one of six states having a lifetime fertility of greater than 2.1 births per woman, the level needed to replace the current population, given infant deaths.
MAVERICK LAKE … IN THE SANDHILLS
There’s a Maverick Lake in Nebraska, but it’s nowhere near campus. It’s 400-plus miles from Omaha, in fact, located near the township of Lost Creek, Nebraska in the Sandhills of Garden County. That’s 35 miles due north of Oshkosh, Nebraska. Maverick Lake is owned by Farmland Reserve Inc., which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
SUPREME THANKS, NEBRASKA
On Dec. 23, 1930, the Nebraska Supreme Court approved creation of the Municipal University of Omaha. Just 38 years later came another change when the university joined the University of Nebraska to create the University of Nebraska system.
CELEBRATING THE STATE’S START
It was 89 years ago that Omaha University students celebrated … 75 years of Nebraska as a territory. Students on Nov. 6, 1929, took part in the Nebraska Diamond Jubilee by staging a scene in the pageant, “The Making of Nebraska,” at Ak-Sar-Ben Field. The scene featured Native American life and customs in the Middle West.
AN ALUM IN EVERY COUNTY ... ALMOST
No matter where you go in Nebraska, there’s a Maverick … almost. As of July 1, UNO had at least one graduate living in 92 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Only the state’s least-populous county, Arthur County in the west-center of the state, is without a Mav — though county data is not known for about 600 of Nebraska’s 62,000+ UNO alumni.
Here are the top 10 counties by most number of alumni:
Douglas 40,427
Dodge 679
Sarpy 10,944
Saunders 519
Lancaster 3,083
Hall 382
Washington 1051
Platte 369
Cass 790
Madison 311
All other Nebraska Counties
Adams 171
Antelope 35
Arthur 0
Banner 3
Blaine 1
Boone 51
Box Butte 24
Boyd 11
Brown 12
Buffalo 234
Burt 125
Butler 71
Cedar 59
Chase 14
Cherry 21
Cheyenne 26
Clay 28
Colfax 62
Cuming 99
Custer 34
Dakota 92
Dawes 20
Dawson 66
Deuel 3
Dixon 25
Dundy 3
Fillmore 23
Franklin 10
Frontier 2
Furnas 17
Gage 123
Garden 2
Garfield 6
Gosper 6
Grant 2
Greeley 10
Hamilton 62
Harlan 12
Hayes 2
Hitchcock 4
Holt 66
Hooker 1
Howard 32
Jefferson 39
Johnson 27
Kearney 22
Keith 23
Keya Paha 2
Kimball 5
Knox 35
Lincoln 150
Logan 2
Loup 2
Mcpherson 1
Merrick 43
Morrill 10
Nance 10
Nemaha 56
Nuckolls 12
Otoe 162
Pawnee 12
Perkins 10
Phelps 49
Pierce 45
Polk 32
Red Willow 57
Richardson 30
Rock 3
Saline 49
Scotts Bluff 108
Seward 101
Sheridan 4
Sherman 15
Sioux 3
Stanton 40
Thayer 17
Thomas 2
Thurston 26
Valley 22
Wayne 41
Webster 4
Wheeler 1
York 89