The Life and Legacy of Elizabeth Miller Watkins: A Pioneering Philanthropist

by Mary Dresser Burchill, Norma Decker Hoagland

Few women have had a more significant impact on the development and growth of Lawrence, Kansas, and the University of Kansas than Elizabeth Miller Watkins. Elizabeth Josephine Miller was born in Ohio in 1861 and moved with her family to Lawrence when she was a child. She attended the University of Kansas’s preparatory school in the 1870s but could not complete her education when a family financial crisis forced her to seek employment. She started working at the J. B. Watkins Land and Mortgage Company in 1887 as a secretary and in 1909 she married the company’s founder and owner, Jabez Watkins. Together the Watkinses dedicated themselves to philanthropy and were committed to giving all their wealth, as Elizabeth said, “for the good of humanity, chiefly here in Lawrence.” Jabez died in 1921, leaving Elizabeth to manage the family fortune alone. Elizabeth wished to give women the opportunity for higher education that she herself had never received. In 1925, the Kansas Board of Regents approved her request to have a women’s scholarship hall built at KU. Watkins Hall, named in memory of her late husband, was constructed close to Elizabeth’s home—now the chancellor’s residence—and was followed a decade later by the construction of Miller Hall in 1936. As two of the twelve scholarship halls at the University of Kansas today, Watkins and Miller Halls are home to a vibrant cohort of young female scholars and an active alumnae community who continue the philanthropic vision of Elizabeth Miller Watkins. In 1929, Elizabeth donated $200,000 for the new Lawrence Memorial Hospital to be built at 3rd and Maine, where it remains today. She also established the first on-campus healthcare provider, Watkins Memorial Hospital, at the University of Kansas (now Twente Hall) in 1931. In this engaging biography, Mary Dresser Burchill and Norma Decker Hoagland’s extensive research successfully paints a portrait of a remarkable woman whose generosity endures at KU and in Lawrence and brings to light the astonishing legacy of one of the city’s leading philanthropists.

240 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2023

Reviews

[Mrs. Hassig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a proud Lawrence native who, until I read this book, had no idea I was born in a hospital built by one of my new unsung heroes! Elizabeth Miller Watkins was a STUD! As a KU Jayhawk, I didn't live in the scholarship halls built by Elizabeth, but I have always admired them. My sister-in-law was married in Danforth Chapel and I made several trips to the Watkins Hospital on campus while a student at KU. Who knew that there were so many connections to my life and the legacy of Elizabeth Miller Watkins!! I wasn't expecting this book to be a fun read but I was wrong! Burchill and Hoagand did a really nice job and it was exciting to read and see what additional gifts Elizabeth would make to improve her community and her neighborhood!!! For some weird reason, I have been reading books lately about pioneering philanthropists and Elizabeth and JB Watkins would have liked meeting Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington! They too believed that sharing in the gift would give you ownership - whether that was in sweat equity or money! If you are a lover of KU or Lawrence this book is a must read! I have a precious friend and co-worker that has lived at Watkins Scholarship Hall the past two years and she gave me this beautiful book - I can't wait to discuss it with her before she heads back up to Oread in a few weeks! ROCK CHALK to the Watkins!

[Chris Tilden · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long-time resident of Lawrence, Kansas, I was enthralled with this biography of Elizabeth Miller Watkins (and also her husband, J.B. Watkins). The Watkins ran successful business enterprises in the late 1800s/early 1900s. These businesses spanned much of the globe, but throughout their adult lives they lived in Lawrence. Friends and acquaintances to the "rich and powerful" (including industrialists like the Carnegies and politicians in offices up to and including the White House), they nonetheless seemed to have a deep connection to Lawrence, and both JB and especially Elizabeth were generous philanthropists who centered much of their giving locally, much to the benefit of the University of Kansas, located in Lawrence, and the city itself. Arguably no other family has had quite the lasting impact on the community as did JB and Elizabeth Watkins. Those interested in the history of this community should certainly have this book among their "must reads." It is an easy and fascinating read for anyone, but for Lawrencians in particular. I found it absolutely compelling; couldn't put it down.