OTTAWA — Ottawa University will mark its 148th birthday on Sunday. The Ottawa University choir and orchestra will perform Sunday afternoon at 3 in the Fredrikson Chapel for OU’s Charter Day, followed by a charter day reception in the chapel narthex. The university was created as a result of a land deal between the Ottawa Indians and a group of mostly New York land developers seeking to found a town at the Ohio Crossing of the Marais des Cygnes River, which is where the modern-day city of Ottawa is located, said Franklin County Historical Society’s Deborah Barker. The project got its push from a Baptist missionary to the Ottawa Indians, Jotham Meeker, who dreamed of furthering the education of the tribe’s members but died before he could see OU come to fruition, she said. Ottawa University invites all alumni, students, supporters, and friends to celebrate Charter Day by joining in the festivities, as well as wearing black and gold to church, sharing an OU memory or contacting an old OU friend, roommate or professor; or wearing OU gear for exercise or enjoying the spring weather Sunday. They can also post a photo on OU’s Facebook page.
Thursday, April 18, 4 p.m.
