[2] Ida Lou Anderson was born in the south in Morganton, Tennessee and moved to Washington state as a small child, settling with her family in Colfax, the Whitman County seat just a few miles from Pullman.
In a memorial publication commissioned by Murrow in 1941, LaFollette recalled the enormous natural oratory talents of the crippled young girl.
In 1926, shortly after graduation, she became the college's youngest and one of its most popular professors; she was also a broadcasting coach and radio station advisor.
She helped him polish his radio technique with private lessons, introduced him to poetry and classical literature, and encouraged his wide reading and love of music.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony, WSU Pullman Chancellor Elizabeth Chilton stated, "When I first started to consider the renaming of the house, I wanted to find someone from WSU’s history who faced adversity head-on, and whose experience here helped them overcome these keen challenges, embrace their identity, and find a community.