AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – As a philanthropist, industrialist, real estate developer and financier, Melissa Dora “M.D.” Callaway Oliver-Eakle is remembered as a Panhandle Legend who helped Amarillo reach new heights, leaving her lasting mark on the city’s skyline as well as its historic neighborhoods.
As described by the Texas State Historical Association, Oliver-Eakle was born near Eufaula, Alabama, on Sept. 23, 1860. She attended Georgia Female College in Macon and graduated in 1879 before marrying William Oliver in 1884, an industrialist and the principal stockholder of Mississippi Mills, which at the time was the largest textile manufacturer.
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While Oliver-Eakle came first as a visitor to the Texas Panhandle in 1890 to visit her brothers, she began to regularly return to the area after Oliver’s death in 1891. She moved to the Amarillo area permanently in 1895 after buying land in Potter and Randall counties and, according to the TSHA, “caused a stir among townspeople when she arrived with her fine horses, carriage, and household servants.”
The TSHA noted Oliver-Eakle was nicknamed the “Duchess,” in town due to her chestnut horse, elegant clothing and aloof public manner. However, she later became known for her warmth and generosity…