1930-1939

Ruth Wilson posing for the Women's Basketball team, 1931. Source: ODU Photographic Collection, RG 32, Special Collections and University Archives.

June 1930: Ruth Wilson becomes the first female student to register for classes at the Norfolk Division of William & Mary.

September 1930: The Norfolk Division of William & Mary opens for its first semester. Over 200 students, 81 of which are women, register during the first year.

Tri-K Club Group Photo, 1935. Source: 1935 Cauldron, Special Collections and University Archives.

Fall 1930: The first organizations for women are formed including the Cotillion Club, Tri-K Club, and the Women’s Student Government Association

Fall 1930: The first women instructors were hired, including Kathleen Bruce, Ph.D. (Professor of American History), Sarah Redwine, B.A., M.A. (Instructor of English), Ethel Childress, A.B. (Instructor of Mathematics and Physics), and Mary O. Parker, B.S. (Instructor of Physical Education and Director of Athletics for Women). Dr. Bruce was on the faculty of William & Mary and only taught classes for the 1930-1931 year

Mary Parker Old, Women's Basketball Coach, 1931. Source: ODU Photographic Collection, RG 32, Special Collections and University Archives.

1931: The women’s basketball team holds their first game in March 1931 against the William & Mary freshman team with Mary O. Parker as the head coach.

1931: Alice Burke joins the faculty as the first female instructor in Government. Frances Beale Saunders joins the faculty as instructor in English as well as the first Librarian. Alva Lee Smith joins the faculty as the first female instructor to teach engineering courses as instructor in Mathematics and Engineering

1935: As of the 1935-1936 academic year, 6 of the 21 staff members at the Norfolk Division are female.

1935: Mary Nixon joins the faculty as the first female instructor in both History and Music

1936: Athletic Director Tommy Scott hires Margaret Holloman to establish an expanded intramural athletic program for women that includes badminton, fencing, basketball, swimming, ping-pong, filed hockey, archery, and tennis

1937: Cherry Nottingham is the first known female assistant professor (Modern Languages) at the Norfolk Division. In 1939, she becomes the first female to obtain the rank of associate professor