Charles Luther Kirtley was one of the four people to first graduate from the University of Idaho in 1896. He began his higher education at the university in 1893, and was an active participant in campus athletics.

He joined the first University of Idaho football team as a half-back and continued playing football throughout his education. Charles also participated in track and field. He placed first and second during the 1893 Intercollegiate Field Day event as part of the relay team.

Following his graduation from U of I, he enrolled in Rush Medical school where he finished in 1901. He then completed an internship in Portland, Oregon before eventually settling in Challis, Idaho. Here he was a practicing physician and for most of his life was one of the only doctors serving the rural community. His last time at the U of I campus was in 1934. Charles died just four years later.

Sources

Charles Luther Kirtley collection, MG 526, Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, Idaho.

University of Idaho Student Organizations collection, PG 002, Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, Idaho.

University of Idaho Portrait Collection, PG 003, Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, Idaho.