Douthart Scholarship Hall

History of Douthart 

Douthart Scholarship Hall (pronounced DOW – thert) was built in 1954 in honor of Lela Douthart and Ava Douthart Chronister.  Lela Douthart was a longtime teacher at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas.  Her sister, Ava Douthart Chronister, was a member of KU's class of 1889 and died in 1945.  Money came to the KU Endowment Association through a bequest in Lela's will.  That gift was augmented by Ava's estate at the time of her death. 

Every five years, the hall hosts a reunion for all Douthart alumnae.  Through these experiences, we can glean a more thorough, less textbook history of our great hall.  For example, new women will come to find out that the grill is the "bloodsucking b***h from which there is no escape.”  This title goes back years.  Other examples include the fact that Douthart's “SHD" was originally a "house mother" position, and there is more than a sportsmanlike reason for the baseball bat in the front hall closet.  Henry, our supply closet, is so named after the handyman who maintained the building in the olden days.  If you are an old woman and would like to make sure Douthart has your name, address, and email for reunions (especially our 50th in 2004!), email douthartalumni@hotmail.com and I will make sure you are on our list.

Douthart is currently one of 10 Scholarship Halls at the University of Kansas.  Scholarship Halls offer a unique alternative to residence halls.  As a "schol haller" you will have opportunities to interact with residents at the four other women's halls (Watkins, Miller, Sellards, and Margaret Amini) and the five men's halls (Amini, Battenfeld, Grace Pearson, Pearson, and Stephenson).  Hall websites are available on the links page.

Douthart is a community living environment.  Douthart has 12 suites, each shared by 4 women.  The suites consist of two bunkrooms and a common room.  The rooms are furnished with 4 desks, chairs, bunk beds, and lamps.  Residents are encouraged to bring their own carpet, shelves, couches, fridges, TV's etc.  Visit the Department of Student Housing for more information on Scholarship Hall arrangements.

All of the meals at Douthart are home-cooked.  Lunch and dinner are cooked daily, and residents can raid the pantry at any time!  Douthart also has free laundry!  Two computers are available in Henry, our storage closet, and a variety of reference books, cliff notes, and novels (especially romance novels) are located in the living room.

Send mail to DouthartARC@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: March 31, 2004