A C tent Car r Upon arrival, Rollins landed a room at the Dixon Manor located behind the iconic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Purvis introduced her to various schools of dance such as the Hollywood School of Dance, African Contemporary and Ernest Belcher ballet. Rollins said that attending each of these required her to master the complex L.A. bus system to get from studio to studio. As time went on, though, she decided the Hollywood lifestyle was not for her. Returning home in 1953, she attended a dance program at Texas State College for Women (TSCW) in Denton, where she was able to travel and perform around the country for communities and other colleges. She graduated in May 1956 after her last performance, where she met Glenda Williams, head of women’s physical education at Oklahoma A&M College. The following June, Rollins and a group of friends from the TSCW modern dance group traveled to New high school instructors did when she was a student. She even had the chance to instruct students who later achieved popularity of their own, like Wally Funk. “[Funk] was a physical education major at the time, and was required to take dance classes, which she wasn’t interested in,” Rollins said. “She was more interested in flying. She would come and tell me all of the fine experiences she had with it.” In 1985, Rollins met Kenneth Wade at a ballroom dance in Stillwater. She said she had no interest in dating at first, with school being her top priority. However, Wade was persistent and after Rollins ran out of excuses, the two began to date. She retired in 1986 as an accomplished emeritus faculty member. “I just enjoyed teaching,” Rollins said. “And the neat thing is, I would run into students later who would remember me, and we would chat about what year they were in and the memories they had.” Rollins and Wade moved to the nearby town of Perry after marrying in 1989, still keeping the apartment in Stillwater for a place to stay when there were performances to attend. York City where they met Ruth St. Denis, who at the time was considered a pioneer in modern dance. It was also around this time when she was Rollins a job as a dance instructor. Rollins said she and her family eagerly awaited a contract in the mail. After what she said felt like forever, they received a confirmation letter from Valerie Colvin, who had taken Williams’ place. Her only concern for Rollins was finding a place to live in Stillwater. However, they discovered a newly constructed apartment complex, which Rollins was able to secure a spot in. Her first month’s rent only cost her $60 and it’s the same apartment Rollins lives in to this day. For the next 30 years, Rollins taught dance and organized performances at OSU throughout the old Field House, now Gallagher-Iba Arena; the Bartlett Center for Visual Arts; and the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts. Her teaching career at OSU was all Rollins could have hoped for. She opened the world of dance to students and organized performances like her former 4 CONNECT 2023
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