Women’s “Firsts” at Vanderbilt

Firsts for Vanderbilt Women

1875 – Cutter, Emma B. One of two first faculty women at Peabody College.

1875 – Sears, Julia. One of two first faculty women at Peabody College.

1879 – Lupton, Kate. First woman to receive a Vanderbilt degree (Master of Arts).

1891 – Paschall, Annie. First woman to receive an entering scholarship at Vanderbilt.

1900 – Hunnicutt, Martha E. First woman winner of the Founder’s Medal.

1902 – Brown, Anna. First Vanderbilt Alumna to be elected Phi Beta Kappa.

1902 – Martin, Amelia Baskervill. One of the first three undergraduate women elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Vanderbilt.

1902 – Maslin, Martha Maney. One of the first three undergraduate women elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Vanderbilt.

1902 – Tuttle, Daisy. One of the first three undergraduate women elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Vanderbilt.

1913 – Haggard, Mary W. First woman named University Registrar at Vanderbilt.

1918 – Gilbreth, Christine Marie. First woman to graduate from Vanderbilt Dental School.

1919 – Allen, Clara Marie Weber. First woman to receive L.L.B. degree.

1919 – Loomis, Dorothy Bethurum. First woman editor of The Commodore.

1919 – Means, Marie Hackle. First woman to earn a Ph.D. from Peabody.

1922 – Bowie, Anna Mary. First woman faculty member in the Vanderbilt School of Medicine.

1925 – Stapleton, Ada Belle. First Dean of Women and first woman appointed professor of English at Vanderbilt.

1929 – Beard, Louise Allen. One of two first women to graduate from Vanderbilt School of Medicine.

1929 – Bowie, Thelma Byrd. One of two first women to graduate from Vanderbilt School of Medicine.

1929 – Earle, Imogene Phelps. First woman to earn Ph.D. (Biochemistry) at Vanderbilt.

1930 – Kachelhoffe, Susie C. First woman to earn Bachelor of Divinity at Vanderbilt.

1930 – Titus, Shirley C. First Dean of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing.

1933 – Rhea, Linda. First woman to earn a Ph.D. in English at Vanderbilt.

1942 – Freeman, Betty. First woman editor of The Hustler.

1945 – Jones, Vera Jane. First woman to receive B.E. from the Vanderbilt School of Engineering.

1956 – Hardcastle, Mia. First women Engineering Founder’s Medalist. She was also the first woman president of the Engineering Alumni Council.

1964 – Quarterman, Elsie. First woman Chair (Department of General Biology).

1964 – Werthan, Mary Jane. First woman on the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.

1966 – Gray, Susan. Founder and first director of the Peabody Demonstration and Research Center for Early Education.

1968 – Poindexter, Portia. First African-American woman to be awarded a graduate degree at Vanderbilt (M.A.T. in History).

1970 – Perdue, Bobbi. First African-American woman to graduate from the Vanderbilt School of Nursing.

1972 – Daughtrey, Martha Craig. First woman faculty member appointed at the Law School.

1973 – Cuninggim, Margaret. First woman to hold the title of dean for student life at Vanderbilt.

1973 – Wolfe, Marice. First woman named University Archivist at Vanderbilt.

1973 – Zibart, Ruth G. First woman named Associate Dean of the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Sciences.

1974 – Lee, Eve. First African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt (German).

1974 – Stahlman, Mildred. First woman to chair the Vanderbilt Faculty Senate.

1975 – McFague, Sallie. First woman Dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School and first woman Dean of a theological school in the United States.

1976 – Mauksch, Ingebord. First woman awarded an endowed chair at Vanderbilt (Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing).

1977 – Higgs, Mary Egerton (Skipp). First woman editor of University Publications.

1977 – Davis, Henrietta Rose – First woman Director of Personnel, 1977.

1978 – Dailey, Darlene. One of two first African-American women to graduate from Vanderbilt School of Medicine.

1978 – Higgs, Mary Egerton (Skipp). First director of University Publications.

1978 – Jones, Janice. One of two first African-American woman to graduate from Vanderbilt Medical School.

1978 – Ransom, Nancy. First Director of the Vanderbilt Women’s Center.

1978 – Shafer, Kim. First woman elected president of the Vanderbilt Student Government Association.

1979 – Holliday, Bertha. First African-American faculty member of Peabody College.

1980 – Fischer, Charlotte. First woman tenured in Vanderbilt School of Engineering.

1980 – Wynn, Lillian. First African-American to graduate from the Vanderbilt Divinity School.

1981 – Pierce, Pat. First woman director of Vanderbilt Opportunity Development Center.

1983 – Chandler, Joan. First African-American woman department head (Director of materials distribution) in Medical Center.

1983 – Karzon, Allaire Urban. First woman to become tenured at Vanderbilt Law School.

1985 – Edwards, Francis. First woman elected president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association. (BSN, 1953; MSN, 1976)

1986 – Katahn, Enid. First woman professor at Blair School of Music (professor of piano).

1987 – Bowen, Barbara. First woman to chair a department (French and Italian) in the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Sciences.

1987 – Fluker, Sharon. First African-American woman to become an Assistant Dean of the Vanderbilt Graduate School

1998 – Benbow, Camilla. First women Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.

1999 – Briskey, Lauren. First woman Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer (Administration).

1999 – Ingram, Martha R. First woman to serve as chairman of the Board of Trust (1999-2011)

2020 – Lee, Candice S. First woman to Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Athletic Director, as well as the first Black woman to head an SEC athletics program.

(Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20151018233941/http:/www.library.vanderbilt.edu/speccol/digcoll/vuwomen_date.shtml)