Alumnus makes final trip to beloved campus

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Fifty years ago, Kermit Holderman graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in history (and later, in 1972, a master’s in English). In December 2019, he returned to campus for the first time in many years. 

The campus changes and a whirlwind tour of facilities — the McKnight Center, Boone Pickens Stadium and Gallagher-Iba Arena, plus a rugged workout at the Colvin Center — were impressive. 

But the hour he spent catching up with Burns Hargis, his “pledge pop” from their Sigma Nu fraternity days, was the highlight. They shared memories and laughs. That evening, Mr. Holderman told friends he would return often.

Sadly, that won’t happen. Mr. Holderman succumbed to COVID-19 just three months later.

“Kermit was a valued fraternity brother with a zest for life and discovery,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “He used his OSU degree to become a gifted teacher and mentor to countless students. Kermit was a proud OSU alumnus and a dedicated public servant.”

At OSU, Mr. Holderman became freshman class vice president, competed in intramurals and thrived in his English and history classes. Passionately committed to human rights, he joined the Peace Corps following graduation and was assigned to Ethiopia as an English teacher.

On his return, Mr. Holderman married Sue Hennessey, a Californian who had ventured to Stillwater and shared his commitment to education and social justice. After graduation, they made several brief stops as teachers, leading to a job at Sacred Heart preparatory school in Atherton, California. Mr. Holderman thrived there, winning many faculty awards. He introduced his students to literary classics and counseled them on college plans and applications. In retirement, the couple moved to the San Diego area to be near family. 

Just a few weeks after his trip to Stillwater, Mr. Holderman became ill with COVID-19. He helped in the contact tracing process, and his case apparently resulted from an unwitting exposure to Colorado vacationers. Within a short time, in spite of his optimism and physical stamina, he weakened and was put on a ventilator. His case was so early in the pandemic that family members were not restricted from patient rooms, and on March 31, 2020, Mr. Holderman died with them at his side.

Since his death, praises for Mr. Holderman’s contributions to society and reflections on his OSU years have flowed. His fellow students and family recall a bright mind and charismatic personality who thrived on helping others succeed. Mr. Holderman’s roommate of four years, Ken Cook, recalls a “perfect roommate” whose life and example “touched our hearts.” 

In a recent note to friends, Mrs. Holderman registered the depth of her family’s loss and how thrilled her husband was to return to Stillwater. Above all else, she wrote, he was proud to see how OSU’s commitments to a more diverse campus and challenging academic programs, “the hallmarks of his own undergraduate education,” have been carried out by none other than his fraternity brother Hargis, now president of OSU.