30 influential Baylor women you should know

When Baylor was chartered in 1845, it was the first (or one of the first, depending on the source) coeducational college or university west of the Mississippi River — about 10 years before any public institution of higher learning would introduce mixed-gender learning, and a full 75 years before American women were guaranteed the right to vote.

Since that groundbreaking beginning, countless women have come through the halls of Baylor before going on to do amazing things. Here’s a quick rundown of 30 such Baylor women you should know:

The first woman to earn a Baylor degree was Mary Gentry Kavanaugh — just a year after the university’s first male graduate. Since Kavanaugh earned her “Maid of Arts” degree, a host of other Baylor women have played large parts in the university’s success.

In the sciences, we have Dr. Hallie Earle, BA 1901, MS 1902, the first female graduate of Baylor Medical School and the first licensed female physician in Waco. Dr. Helen Ligon essentially introduced computers to the Baylor campus is the early 1960s and was the first to develop Baylor MIS courses. Dr. Rebekah Ann Naylor, BA’ 64, spent three decades at Bangalore Baptist Hospital in India as a surgeon, chief of medical staff, administrator, and medical superintendent, all while exemplifying the ideals of the Christian servant, until her retirement in 2009. And thought she was never a nurse (and didn’t attend Baylor), Louise Herrington Ornelas‘ generosity will support countless future Baylor nurses.

In the arts, there’s Dr. Roxy Grove, AB 1908, who – after earning two Baylor music degrees, serving as a missionary, and working as a nurse and teacher during World War I – chaired the Baylor School of Music from 1926-42. Dr. Dorothy Scarborough, BA 1896, MA 1899, was a noted teacher, writer and folklorist who founded Baylor’s journalism department, the first in the southwest. More recently, journalists such as Richelle Carey, BA ’95, and actresses such as Angela Kinsey, BA ’93, and Allison Tolman, BFA ’04, have made names for themselves in television and film.

The study of law at Baylor owes much gratitude to Margaret Amsler, BA ’29, JD ’37, who in 1941 became just the third female tenure-track law professor in the nation; later, she played a critical role as acting dean in reopening the school after World War II. Nearly every Texan knows the name Ann Richards, BA ’54, a Texas governor, trailblazer, and Baylor legend. Jennifer Elrod, BA ’88, and Priscilla Owen, BA ’76, JD ’77, are both federal judges one level below the U.S. Supreme Court. Jerry Clements, JD ’81, has been named among the nation’s 50 most influential female lawyers and joins Elrod as two of eight women currently on the university’s Board of Regents.

Education at Baylor will be forever impacted by professors such as Ann Miller, one of the university’s first two Master Teachers. Dr. Elizabeth Davis, BBA ’84, is one of 28 Baylor graduates currently serving as college and university presidents worldwide (including four women). Pearl Beverly, MSEd ’01, the founding director of Baylor’s Department of Multicultural Affairs, has helped serve Baylor students since 1988. And the late Dr. Diana Garland dedicated nearly 20 years of her life to growing and serving Baylor’s School of Social Work, right up to her death last year.

In fact, Baylor names resound across plenty of other fields, as well, from the military (where Ruth Helm, ’37, was one of the groundbreaking Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II) to business (where Marjorie Scardino, BA ’69, serves on the board of Twitter) to sports (both legendary women’s basketball coach Jody Conradt, BS ’63, MS ’69, and four-time WNBA All-Star Sophia Young, BSED ’06, got their start at Baylor). And even that doesn’t include many of the strong women who help lead the university all across campus: vice-presidents Tommye Lou Davis, BA ’66, MS ’68, and Pattie Orr; Dr. Shelley Conroy, nursing dean; coaches such as Kim Mulkey, Felecia Mulkey and Ellen White, and of course, First Lady Alice Starr.

Many of these women (and others) have been recognized across campus over the years. For instance, the program Garland served so well is now the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, while the Louise Herrington School of Nursing was named for Ornelas in 2000. Roxy Grove Hall (a performance space attached to Waco Hall) and Earle Hall (a residential facility that houses the Science and Health Living Learning Community) honor two more of the women above. Other locations on campus named for Baylor women include Allen Residence Hall, Burleson Hall, Glennis McCrary Music Building, Stacy Riddle Forum, Sadie Jo Black Gardens and Vara Martin Daniel Plaza.

Here’s to the women of Baylor who have made this university what it is today, and to the current female students, alumni, faculty and staff whose accomplishments we’ve yet to write about.

Sic ’em, Baylor women!

(There’s not enough room, even on a blog, to list every notable Baylor woman. But if there’s someone you think particularly deserves to be honored here, please let us know.)