![\"Joanna](\"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/women1-mar18.jpg\")
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When Baylor was chartered\u00a0in 1845, it was the first (or one of the first, depending on the\u00a0source) coeducational college or university\u00a0west of the Mississippi River — about 10 years before any public institution of higher learning would introduce mixed-gender learning, and a full\u00a075 years before American women were guaranteed the\u00a0right to vote.<\/p>\n
Since that groundbreaking beginning, countless\u00a0women have come through the halls of Baylor before going\u00a0on to do amazing things. That all begins\u00a0with\u00a0Mary Gentry Kavanaugh<\/a><\/strong>, who in 1855 became the first woman to earn a Baylor degree (just a year after the university\u2019s first male graduate). Since then, a host of other Baylor women have played large parts in the university’s success; here’s a quick rundown of Baylor women you should know:<\/p>\n IN THE SCIENCES<\/strong> IN THE ARTS<\/strong> IN POLITICS AND LAW<\/strong> IN EDUCATION<\/strong> Countless Baylor students have been\u00a0impacted over the years by Master Teachers\u00a0such as\u00a0Ligon,\u00a0Tommye Lou Davis<\/a><\/strong> (BA ’66, MS ’68), Ann Miller<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Rachel Moore<\/a><\/strong> (MA ’69), Dr. Laine Scales<\/a><\/strong> and Dr. Gaynor Yancey<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0In 1966, Dr. Vivienne Malone-Mayes<\/a><\/strong> became Baylor’s first African-American professor, and a year later, Barbara Walker<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’67, became the university’s first female African-American graduate.\u00a0Dr. Elizabeth Davis<\/a><\/strong>, BBA ’84, is one of about 30 BU alumni currently serving as college and university presidents worldwide (including four women). After graduating from Baylor, Dr. Bettye Caldwell<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’45, drew national attention to the need for early childhood education.<\/p>\n IN ATHLETICS<\/strong> IN OTHER FIELDS<\/strong> 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<\/a>, while the Louise Herrington School of Nursing<\/a> was named for Ornelas in 2000.\u00a0Roxy Grove Hall (a performance space attached to Waco Hall) and Earle Hall (a residential facility that houses\u00a0the Science and Health Living Learning Community) honor\u00a0two more of the women above. Other locations on campus\u00a0named for\u00a0Baylor women include Allen, Alexander and Collins residence halls, Georgia Burleson Hall, Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field, Glennis McCrary Music Building, the Mary Gibbs Jones Family and Consumer Sciences building, Stacy Riddle Forum, Sadie Jo Black Gardens and Vara Martin Daniel Plaza.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s 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\u2019ve yet to write about.<\/p>\n Sic \u2019em, Baylor women!<\/p>\n
\nDr. Hallie Earle<\/a><\/strong>, BA 1901, MS 1902, was the first female graduate of Baylor Medical School and the first licensed\u00a0female physician in Waco. Dr. Helen Ligon<\/a><\/strong> essentially introduced computers to the Baylor campus is the early 1960s and was the first to develop Baylor MIS<\/a> courses.\u00a0Dr. Rebekah Ann Naylor<\/a><\/strong>, BA\u2019 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. Dr. Beverly Griffin<\/a><\/strong>, BS ’51, broke new ground in cancer research, while Dr. Jimmie Holland<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’48, was among the first to help cancer patients with both their emotional and physical needs.\u00a0Allene Rosalind Jeanes<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’28, is a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her part in developing an artificial blood plasma and xanthan gum.\u00a0And though she was never a nurse (and didn’t attend Baylor), Louise Herrington Ornelas<\/a><\/strong>‘ generosity will support countless future Baylor nurses.<\/p>\n
\nAfter earning two Baylor music degrees, serving as a missionary, and working as a nurse and teacher during World War I,\u00a0Dr. Roxy Grove<\/a><\/strong>, AB 1908, chaired the Baylor School of Music<\/a>\u00a0from 1926-42. Dr. Dorothy Scarborough<\/a><\/strong>, BA 1896, MA 1899, was a noted teacher, writer and folklorist who founded Baylor’s journalism department, the first in the southwest. Bess Whitehead Scott<\/a><\/strong>, BA 1912, was one of the first female news reporters in Houston. More recently, journalists such as Richelle Carey<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’95, and\u00a0actresses such as Angela Kinsey<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’93,\u00a0Allison Tolman<\/a><\/strong>, BFA ’04, and Kara Killmer<\/a><\/strong>, BFA ’10,\u00a0have made names for themselves in television and film. Joanna Gaines<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’01, stars on HGTV’s hit show Fixer Upper<\/em> and oversees the growing Magnolia line of products, and Shelley Giglio<\/strong><\/a>, BBA ’86,\u00a0co-founded the Passion Movement<\/a>\u00a0and serves as chief strategist for the sixstepsrecords<\/a> label. Candice Millard<\/a><\/strong>, MA ’92, has written three New York Times<\/em> bestsellers (including Amazon’s No. 1 history book for 2016).<\/p>\n
\nThe study of law at Baylor owes much gratitude to Margaret Amsler<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’29, JD ’37, who in 1941 became just the third\u00a0female tenure-track law professor in the nation; later, she\u00a0played a\u00a0critical role as acting dean in reopening the school after World War II.\u00a0Emeline Abood Jackson<\/a><\/strong>, JD ’26, became Baylor Law School’s first female graduate just six years after women earned the right to vote.\u00a0Nearly every Texan knows the name Ann Richards<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’54, a Texas governor, trailblazer, and Baylor legend. Jennifer Elrod<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’88, and Priscilla Owen<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’76, JD ’77, are both\u00a0federal judges one level below the U.S. Supreme Court. Jerry Clements<\/a><\/strong>, JD ’81, has been named among the nation’s 50 most influential female\u00a0lawyers and joins Elrod and Giglio among the 13 women currently on the university’s Board of Regents<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Ann](\"https:\/\/www2.baylor.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/women2-mar18.jpg\")
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\nNaturally, we have to lead here with Dr. Linda Livingstone<\/a><\/strong>, who was named the 15th president of Baylor University in 2017.\u00a0 Many other\u00a0women help lead the university all across campus, including vice-presidents\u00a0Robyn Driskell<\/a><\/strong> (BA ’91, MA ’93) and\u00a0Cheryl Gochis<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(BA ’91, MA ’94) and nursing dean\u00a0Shelley Conroy<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0Pearl Beverly<\/a><\/strong>, MSEd \u201901, the founding director of Baylor\u2019s Department of Multicultural Affairs<\/a>, has helped serve Baylor students since 1988. And the late\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Diana Garland<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0dedicated\u00a0nearly 20 years of her life to growing and serving\u00a0Baylor’s School of Social Work right up to her passing in 2015.<\/p>\n
\nWhen it comes to athletics, Baylor alumni such as Sophia Young<\/a><\/strong>, BSED ’06, and Brittney Griner<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0have each earned multiple WNBA all-star\u00a0selections. Legendary Texas women’s basketball coach Jody Conradt<\/a><\/strong>, BS ’63, MS ’69, got her start at Baylor, and Barbara Petr\u00e1hn<\/a><\/strong>, BBA ’03, joined Griner as\u00a0former Baylor athletes who have\u00a0represented their countries in the Olympics. And of course, current Baylor student-athletes benefit from the tutelage of head coaches Kim Mulkey<\/a><\/strong>, Felecia Mulkey<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and Casie Maxwell<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\nBaylor names resound across plenty of other fields, as well, from the military (where Ruth Helm<\/a><\/strong>, ’37, and Florene Miller Watson<\/a><\/strong> were\u00a0among\u00a0the groundbreaking Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II, and where Hattie Brantley<\/a><\/strong>, BSN ’37, survived two years as a prisoner of war) to\u00a0business (where\u00a0Marjorie Scardino<\/a><\/strong>, BA ’69, serves on the board of Twitter).<\/p>\n