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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIntended for all 125 Years of A&M 14 v� �2!y4/� Or{F- / 6Y1KQ.rw C� Q/CC✓� �� w 3 _ t_j ��� �4�, ��. r �4 r •4 1 t . k Y An Introduction by Barbara Finlay and Pamela R. Matthews Shortly before the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas opened in 1876, a Texas legislative delegation sent to inspect the new college reported that the school was "intended for all." Making visible the hidden stories of women and their contributions to A&M—and, equally importantly, creating a fuller and more accurate history of our institution—are the goals of this exhibit. Recent scholarship in women's history has shown that although women everywhere have contributed much more than we have known, the stories of women's accomplishments need to be told more adequately. Delving into the history of women at Texas A&M University has brought us to the same conclusion: women have been here from the beginning, but their contributions to the history of the University have not been sufficiently recognized or preserved. Women's contributions to campus life began soon after the College's opening.The activities of daughters,wives, and female relatives of male faculty and staff members were documented as early as 1877,just one year after the official opening of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1876. In the 1880s, the teenaged daughter of the University's third president became what might be the institution's first historian by writing firsthand accounts of campus life in her diary.At least a few women attended classes from the outset; by 1893, the first female student whose name is recorded was attending classes.Two sisters completed degree requirements by 1903. Many women worked on the early yearbooks.The first woman officially recorded as a staff member—a nurse—arrived on campus in 1902; a woman librarian joined the staff in 1907. An exhibit produced by the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives,Texas A&M University,2002 (s. P. ti Yet these women were not on campus on the same basis as that of men.The earliest women active on campus hosted dinners for stranded male students or acted as surrogate mothers to homesick cadets.When attending classes,women students (called"campus girls") were accorded"special"status as "lecture students" or"honorary' class members.Those who completed degree requirements were nonetheless denied official degrees.Women were active as agents in the Department of Extension,which became the Texas Agricultural Extension Service (TAEX) in 1912, but an endowment offered for establishing a Department of Domestic Science in 1915 was rejected by the Board of Regents because it feared the new department would force coeducation on the University. During World War I, in order to replace men who left for service,women for the first time filled regular teaching positions at A&M.Their appointments, however,were quickly terminated when the war ended. Most dramatically,when the first woman was awarded an official degree in 1925, the Board's response to her graduation was to resolve never to admit women to Texas A&M again.Although the resolution was amended in order to allow women to continue attending summer school,women no longer could attend classes during the regular sessions and would not be allowed to do so for some time. Nationally,by 1930,women were receiving college degrees in record numbers: according to census figures,40 percent of all B.A. degrees and 40 percent of all M.A. degrees in 1930 were awarded to women. (Those numbers would begin to decline later in the decade.) It is no wonder, then, at a time when large numbers of women elsewhere were attending institutions of higher education, that the 1930s saw the first lawsuit against A&M's policies of excluding women: local women sued—unsuccessfully—for admission. During World War II, the summer school sessions that had been women's main access to education at A&M were suspended, not to resume until 1946. N Y rY - S As is true of the women's movement generally, every step forward toward the inclusion of women as students and in other roles at Texas A&M was the result of a struggle by determined women and their supporters in the face of strong opposition, often by the Board of Directors and former students. In addition to the women who attended classes,worked on the staff, and lived with their families on and around campus, officials of the College often were progressive in their attitudes toward women on campus.Two of the institution's important early presidents, L. S. Ross and William Bizzell, favored coeducation and actively sought means to advance it.As early as the late 1890s, campus administrators joined with local business interests to lobby the Texas legislature (unsuccessfully) for the creation of a"Girl's Industrial School" at A&M, and beginning in 1914, President Bizzell argued for the inclusion of women as regular students. In the early 1950s, a Texas senator introduced legislation to force A&M to admit women, and more university presidents pressed for the inclusion of women. But the legislation failed to pass, and the presidents subsequently resigned, unsuccessful in their attempts to persuade the Board that women belonged as students. In the late 1950s, three women whose applications to A&M were rejected brought suit against the university; the court found in the women's favor, but the circuit court's reversal was upheld in subsequent appeals.A similar lawsuit by three more women a year later resulted again in maintaining the status quo. With racial integration approved in 1963 and attrition rates at Texas A&M measured against astonishing growth at other Texas universities (increases of 29 percent for A&M, 70 percent at The University of Texas, and 117 percent at Texas Tech for the same 10-year period), campus officials, including President Earl Rudder and Sterling C. Evans as chairman of the Board of Regents, again pushed for integrating women.This time the result was more successful. Effective June 1963,women were to be admitted into graduate programs and veterinary medicine,while female staff members 1 rim 1 t and daughters and wives of faculty, staff, and students could enroll in undergraduate programs. Despite vociferous continuing efforts by some alumni, legislators, Mothers' Club members, and students, women from this time on would be a visible presence on campus. By the late 1960s,women would begin to take their places on the Texas A&M faculty. The struggle for women's full equality at Texas A&M University has taken a long time and is not over.Although the undergraduate student body is now almost half female, there are enduring signs of a tradition of excluding women. Especially in campus units traditionally identified with men, including some colleges and departments as well as student organizations,women are scarce or even absent. In spite of the large numbers of women earning doctorates nationally—by 1990, 36 percent of all Ph.D. degrees in the United States were awarded to women—at Texas A&M, over 93 percent of full professors are men, and women are underrepresented at every level compared to peer institutions. As we begin a new millennium,Texas A&M University can be proud of many positive signs of change: more women administrators; a new Women's Center; and an increase in courses and programs dedicated to promoting awareness of gender issues and women's achievements.Yet, there are still barriers to break and trails to blaze before Texas A&M fully realizes its early planners'vision of a fully integrated university truly ,�� 4j -------------- 1876—1892 The Early Years Even though the Texas Senate committee that inspected the College shortly before it opened in 1876 reported that its "endowment was intended for all" and therefore"should be open to both sexes," women were not admitted as official, degree-seeking students until the 1960s. Nevertheless,women played vital roles in the establishment of A&M. aThe first women on the campus were the wives,daughters,and relatives of male faculty and staff members.In January of 1877,the Galveston Daily News published an article about a Christmas dinner for cadets who were unable to return home for the holidays.A few of the individuals who helped host the dinner were Anita Bee,Lula Hogg,"Miss Nannies'and"Mrs.Clements."This is the earliest record in the University's archives that lists specific names of women involved in campus activities. Johanna Sbisa arrived with her husband Bernard Sbisa,manager of subsistence,in 1879.She was a forceful and beloved personality.At the time of her death in 1919,T.D.Rowell,a former student, wrote:"I loved Mrs.Sbisa almost like a mother....When I was young,inexperienced,away from home, and needed the consoling influence of considerate friends...[she]treated me like a son." 3 Johanna and Bernard's daughter,Rita,was active in many campus activities,serving,for example,as the sponsor for a cadet company and for the band.She married Eugene W.Kerr,graduate of the class of 1896.He later became a distinguished professor,first at A&M and subsequently at other universities in this country and abroad.Rita and Eugene sent their sons to A&M. Y ® The diary of May W.Cole(shown here in later life—seated front row,first on the left),the 13 year-old daughter of the school's third president,James Reid Cole,provides a firsthand account of early events ° at the College and the symbiotic relationship between it and the surrounding community.On 10 October 1884,she wrote:"There is sorrow in the College Campus tonight.Death has again entered there and little Willie Bringhurst[grandson of Sam Houston] is an Angel.He was taken sick a week ago ...and this morning at 10 minutes of 4 o'clock he died ...There was no school at the College today, nor at our little school in the evening." aLife on the early campus was not appealing for everyone,whether male or female.Elizabeth Ross,wife of President Lawrence Sullivan Ross,found conditions so decrepit that she took her family back to Austin shortly after her husband assumed the presidency in 1890.She eventually returned,however, and lived happily with her family on the campus until her husband's death ended his term as president. © Women were also present as students from the very earliest days of the College.In 1899,L.L.Foster stated that"when the College was first organized a few girls who resided on campus and were related to professors"were admitted to classes.The first woman known to attend classes was Ethel Hutson in 1893. , -Z"v, AAL sr�i IN '�:1 �► `-tr x, . i 1876-1892 Nettie Bringhurst T P R O F I L E One of the most prominent personalities on the early campus was Antoinette ("Nettie") Power Houston Bringhurst, seventh child of Sam Houston. Nettie Bringhurst was Historian and Poet Laureate of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She was She was popular among the students and 44 popular among the students and always always eager to share information on the t' _ subjects that deeply interested her. Many, if eager to share information on subjects that deeply interested h *VW . Many, not all,of the cadets would have been keen a re been their role in Texas history. to learn about her father and family and if not all, of the cadets would h keen to learn about her father at d family and their role in Texas history.'I ie San Jacinto Day celebration, in which she undoubtedly played an enthusiastic role,was an important event o i the early campus and may have influenced the evolution of the Muster tradition. Her husband,W. L. Bringhurst,was ' 1 on the faculty from 1880 to 1893, teaching physics and English, and serving as vice president and acting president of the College. S 14 I' From "San Jacinto Corn," by Nettie Bringhurst. April Blossoms offer incense,"` April breezes round us play, Just as,long ago they greeted That first San Jacinto Day. e a Who of us may paint the picture Of that wondrous battle scene— „ When an Army,built like magic, Met the foe on prairie green? Theirs the planting,ours the reaping, Theirs the struggle,ours the gain— For the heritage ofTexas t Dates from San Jacinto plain. r- , .h �Ct !�JGrr+� " -'•i�./�'` ��YGi�%vim✓ 4W The diary of May W.Cole.On 10 October 1884,she wrote:"There is sorrow in the College Campus tonight. 41%t Qi lit C7 Death has again entered there and little Willie Bringhurst [grandson of Sam Houston] is an Angel.He was taken sick a week ago...and this morning at 10 minutes of 4 o'clock he died ...There was no school at the College today,nor at our little school in the evening." Willie Bringhurst was the son of Nettie and W.L.Bringhurst Campus Girls The years immediately before and after the turn of the century saw the first female students for which we have records of any kind.Their numbers were few, and they were not allowed to take degrees, but there was a tolerance and even acceptance of their presence that stands in stark contrast to later years.Also in contrast to later years, campus officials were remarkably open to the idea of coeducation, even going so far as to lobby for the location of a girls' school at A&M in the late 1890s.This period also saw the first known women staff members.Their numbers were also few, and they occupied jobs that have long been considered traditional for women (librarians and nurses). Nevertheless, they were trailblazers for the thousands of women that followed them as members of the A&M workforce. Mary Hutson shown at her drafting table at the A.M.Lockett Co.in New Orleans circa 1912-13.Mary and her twin sister,Sophie,completed a course of study in engineering at A&M in 1903. As women, however,they were not awarded degrees. Mary later worked as an engineer in New Orleans. Emma W.Fountain,the daughter of a professor of English,was an early"campus girl"(shown here in 1903). After studying at A&M for two years,she transferred to The University of Texas to complete her degree.She remained devoted to the College,however. While a student in Austin,she would dress in school colors on the day of the annual A&M/UT football game and lead the Aggies from the �. train station to the field. In the fall of 1902,Mrs.Carey Carr Neibert,a graduate of The University of Texas,was hired as a "trained nurse:' Records indicate that there were nurses on staff or at least women serving in that . capacity before her,but she is the first female staff member whose full name is known. 4 W.H."Willie"Thomas was hired as librarian in 1907 and stayed on the staff,with one interruption,until her retirement in 1952.Her tenure included two stints as acting head of the library.She also played an important role in founding two early campus literary societies,the junto and the Fortnightly Club. t � r ® In the late 1890s,campus officials joined with local business groups to lobby for the location of a"Girls 4 Industrial School"at A&M. Among those supporting this action was L.S.Ross,president of A&M(pictured). He felt that"the cadets would be improved by the elevating influence of the good girls,whose training {' would go on under their eye.Both sexes are benefited:' Ross and others argued thatA&M had the facilities in place for such a school,and thus building the institution elsewhere would be much more costly than integrating women into the A&M student body.L.L.Foster,another early A&M president,argued that there was"nothing in the organic law of the A&M College to prevent the admission of girls on equal terms with the boys." Despite their efforts,in 1901 the"Texas Industrial Institute and College"for women,later Texas Woman's University,was established at Denton. ■ From the earliest days a primary and secondary school was located on the campus to provide for the education of the children of faculty and staff and eventually for children from surrounding communities. Instruction was always coeducational,and funding was at times provided wholly or partially by A&M. The school was also allowed to use many of the College's facilities. i 1893-1908 Ethel Hutson T ey were trap blazers fo the Ethel Hutson, daughter of a professor of history and English,was the first"campus girl," early {- y�•� {- A&M lingo for females who were active in campus life. She began attending classes in 1893 as l o s nds o wom n l a"lecture student" and was an honorary followe t e as e ers o the Ethel Hutson,daughter of a member of the class of 1895.Although A& wo r o rce professor of history and English,' was the first"campus girl," early early sources indicate that"when the College was first organized a few girls A&M lingo for females who wer ` who resided on campus and were r active in campus life. K related to the professors"were admitted , to classes, Ethel is the first female student whose name is known.While at A&M, she served on the editorial staff of the Olio(1895), the first yearbook. During these years she also participated 1 in the activities of the Anti-Crinoline League, an organization of women based in Brenham, ` Texas,who protested against"hoopskirt fashions" and other impractical women's dress. y In March of 1893, Ethel wrote from Brenham to her father: ' •` Papa Darling, [. . .J The talk was on the horror of hoops now threatening the land, and each one had some dismal story of accidents caused by those absurd garments. . . . Each one vowed that she could not bear the idea of wearing a hoop/skirt], but that it would never do to be the only woman in town without one. So I said- `Why should we wear them, here in Brenham; why not have our own fashions?What t difference does it make to us what New York wears?'And Cousin Alice said- `Let's organize an Anti- Crinoline League.'The idea was accepted with great enthusiasm. . . If a respectable majority of sensible women in each town banded together and pledged themselves to uphold each other in defying such senseless styles, one might dress reasonably. Certainly, there is no need for following idiotic fashions. . . ." Written from Brenham,Texas, 2 March 1893. Later in life she became a noted artist,worked in New Orleans as a journalist, and was active in the women's suffrage movement in Louisiana. She also took a strong interest in a number of civic causes y„ in New Orleans, among them education, public utilities, child welfare, the preservation of the St. Louis Hotel, and public transportation. 3W�t,. 4#100, 1 t Alit.* � ��•�r7��;• try o�i,.# wtr r y i 1893-1908 Ethel Hutson Ethel Hutson,daughter of a professor of history and English,was the first"campus girl," early T ey were tra blazers fo the A&M lingo for females who were active in campus life. She began attending classes in 1893 as t o s n ds o Y Y o m n t a Ethel Hutson daughter of a a"lecture student" and was an honorary followe t e as e ers o the g A8�member of the class of 1895.Although wororce professor of history and E early sources indicate that"when the was the first"campus girl," earl A&M lingo for females who College was first organized a few girls who resided on campus and were r active related to the professors"were admitted to classes, Ethel is the first female student whose name is known.While at A&M,she served on the editorial staff of the Olio(1895), the first yearbook. During these years she also participated in the activities of the Anti-Crinoline League, an organization of women based in Brenham, Texas,who protested against"hoopskirt fashions"and other impractical womerA dress. a h In March of 1893, Ethel wrote from Brenham to her father: I ` `Papa Darling, [. . .J The talk was on the horror of hoops now threatening the land, and each one had some dismal story of accidents caused by those absurd garments. . . . Each one vowed that she could not bear the idea of wearing a hoop[skirt], but that it would never do to be the only woman in town without one. So I said- `Why should we wear them, here in Brenham;why not have our own fashions?What t difference does it make to us what New York wears?'And Cousin Alice said- `Lets organize an Anti- ' Crinoline League.'The idea was accepted with great enthusiasm. . . If a respectable majority of sensible women in each town banded together and pledged themselves to uphold each other in defying such senseless styles, one might dress reasonably. Certainly, there is no need for following idiotic fashions. . . . Written from Brenham,Texas,2 March 1893. Later in life she became a noted artist,worked in New Orleans as a journalist, and was active in the women's suffrage movement in Louisiana. She also took a strong interest in a number of civic causes in New Orleans, among them education,public utilities,child welfare, the preservation of the St. Louis Hotel, and public transportation. : s a a'agi 'i c i Ethel Hutson's younger,twin sisters,Mary and Sophie, began taking classes in civil engineering in 1899.They completed their courses of study in 1903 but as unofficial students were not given degrees.The class of ! - 1900 presented them with cadet jackets,for which they later made matching skirts.After finishing her studies,Sophie married and started a family.Mary later gained employment as a civil engineer at the A.M. Lockett Co.in New Orleans.Both remained active in campus life,returning for events and serving as sponsors for student organizations. A&M Extended: Summer School,`Lady Agents,' I Influenza, and the War t 7e 'teens saw an unprecedented growth in the number of women as students, but they were still prohibited from earning degrees.As the programs associated with the school in its land grant capacity grew and developed, more women were recruited to the staff.The war and its associated challenges also brought more women to the A&M work force and created the first opportunities for a few of them to serve in regular classroom teaching positions.These years also saw a hardening of the policy against coeducation in the very highest levels of the administration, despite the fact that this period also coincided with the hiring of one of the school's most influential presidents, and one that favored coeducation. In 1909,the state legislature granted A&M permission to conduct regular summer sessions with the ® One of the most prominent women Extension employees was Minnie Fisher Cunningham. A longtime stipulation that women were allowed to attend.The school previously conducted summer classes in editor for TAEX,she was also an active member of the Texas Equal Suffrage Association and a lifelong 1899 and 1900 that were open to women,but had not done so in the following years.The summer worker for progressive causes.In 1928,she unsuccessfully ran for the U.S.Senate.President Roosevelt sessions were so well attended by women that in 1919 a building was set aside as a dormitory for later gave her the popular nickname"Minnie Fish." female summer school students.By 1930,nearly 2,000 women had attended summer school.Women also continued to attend school during the regular sessions,though most of these were relatives of The Agricultural Experiment Station,established in 1888,also provided an employment path for faculty and staff. 9 women.In 1917,Edith Phillip became the first woman"appointed to a scientific position"on the 2❑ Perhaps reflecting a more conscious stance against coeducation on the part of the Board and other station staff. campus officials,Estelle Tatum and Bernice Carter were listed in the 1916 yearbook as"Special Students."The term had earlier been applied to males who were graduate students or in other programs,but previously had not been used in reference to women. Virginia Spence,daughter of D.W.Spence,dean of Engineering and director of the Engineering Experiment Station,was campus editor for the 1918 Battalion.She followed in what was already a tradition of female involvement in student and campus publications.Ethel Hutson and Mrs.J.H.Connell were involved in the publication of the first yearbook in 1895.Hutson was an editor and illustrator,and Connell provided photographs.Through the years,women continued to be involved in student publications,especially during the summer school sessions. ® Many women were hired to teach during the summer. Wesa Weddington(pictured),principal of Bryan High School from 1920 to 1946,was"Preceptress of Women"and an instructor during the summer of 1919. The first women in regular teaching positions were hired during World War I to replace male instructors called up for service.Wanda Farr,wife of an A&M biology professor,was appointed acting instructor in biology in 1917 when her husband was drafted.Yolande Renshaw was the second woman appointed.She taught in modern languages.Over the next year or so five other women were hired. All of their appointments were terminated and filled by men"as soon as possible"after the war ended. The school had at least one opportunity to extend its programs for women even further during this decade.In 1915,Clara B.Dismukes Vander Las,an Austin philanthropist,left a substantial gift to A&M for the establishment of a"Department of Domestic Science."The Board refused the gift,stating that it In 1912,the Department of Extension was organized and two years later became the Texas -- Agricultural Extension Service(TAEX).The establishment of TAEX led to the largest influx of women into the A&M workforce prior to World War 11 and offered the first opportunity for significant 1 numbers of women to gain permanent,professional employment. © Edna W.Trigg,hired as a home demonstration specialist in 1912,was the first"lady agent." By the end of the year, 16 more women were hired. ❑ In 1918,Laura Neale,as head of the TAEX women's programs,ranked as one of the top TAEX administrators.