A life without limits: Memorial highway honors Maj. Freudenberger Holmes
Friday, February 21, 2025
Media Contact: Jordan Bishop | Editor | 405-744-7193 | jordan.bishop@okstate.edu
“I think some people can do things that pack five lifetimes into one.”
Andrea Volturo said this about her late mother, Maj. Helen L. Freudenberger Holmes.
From the ink-stained pages of a small newspaper to the halls of academia and the military’s disciplined ranks, Holmes’ legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of her community. Her impact now extends across Logan County, highlighted by the dedication of a memorial highway in her honor. This highway celebrates Holmes’ life and achievements as a pioneering figure in both military and journalism and an advocate for women.
The dedication, held on Nov. 8, 2024, commemorated Holmes. She achieved many groundbreaking milestones for women, including becoming the first female journalism professor at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, now known as Oklahoma State University. Holmes was also the first woman to earn a master's degree in agricultural journalism from the University of Wisconsin and the first woman from Oklahoma to be sworn into the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II.
“There were barriers, but she never focused on them,” Volturo said. “There was a job that needed to be done, and she did it.”
After graduating from OAMC, Holmes began her career at a small newspaper in Maud, Oklahoma. She then returned to OAMC as a public relations and editorial assistant for three years. In pursuing her master's degree at UW, which she received in 1940, the university established a scholarship to support her funding. Also in 1940, Holmes returned to OAMC as the first female journalism professor, then enlisted in the military in 1942. After her time in the military, Holmes was the mayor of Guthrie, Oklahoma, from 1979-81. She died in 1997.
During her military service, Holmes traveled overseas. Volturo said her mother loved traveling, but her trip was cut short when she contracted tuberculosis and was shipped back to the United States for treatment in a sanitarium. Despite the odds, Holmes beat the infectious disease but could not continue her work in the military, and she was promoted to major before she retired.
"A lot of what she did was very practically based and was spread out over a lengthy career,” said William Holmes, Holmes’ son. “In 60 years, she didn’t do all that at once, and she did justice to every single thing, including raising her family.”
After a life of pouring her heart and soul into each thing she pursued, Holmes inspired her children and others to live their dreams and overcome their barriers.
In 1949, she married Robert F. Holmes, and they had three children: Charles, William and Andrea. Her husband died in 1962. All three children graduated from Oklahoma State University, and Charles and William joined the military. William is now a professor in the OSU Honors College.
“She said, 'Just do it,'” Volturo said. “And back then, that was tough for women, and she didn’t ever consider it. There were obstacles, but she never concerned herself with them because she considered obstacles to be opportunities.”
Story By: Mak Vandruff | makenzie.vandruff@okstate.edu