Phyllis Hill joined UIUC’s faculty in 1952 and later earned her Ph.D. She served as Professor, Associate Dean, and Acting Dean of the College of Applied Life Studies (now Applied Health Sciences). Dr. Hill led the college through the merger of men’s and women’s athletic programs, which required major academic restructuring. In 2003, she returned to UIUC for Illinois 3D, a university-wide event...
Wilma Vaught, who graduated with a Business degree in 1952, was the first female Air Force Officer to attend the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. In an era of strict military restrictions on women, she rose to become Brigadier General, chairperson of the NATO Women in the Allied Forces Committee, and the first and only woman promoted to Brigadier General.
Barbara “Bobbie” Crawford Johnson, the first woman to graduate with a degree in General Engineering from UIUC in 1946, worked on Apollo missions at North American Aviation, later Rockwell International. NASA honored her in 1973, and UIUC named her a Distinguished Alumni in 1975, the first woman to receive this award. She also won the Dick Brouwer Award in 1978 for her contributions to space...
Dorothy Martin Simon earned her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from UIUC in 1945. In 1968, she became the first female corporate officer at Avco Corporation and was later promoted to Vice President of Research and Development. She contributed to the development of the synthetic fiber Orlon and won several teaching awards throughout her career.
Laura J. Huslster joined UIUC’s Physical Education Department in 1949 as Head of Physical Education for Women, serving until 1966 and staying until her retirement in 1977. She led the change from “Woman’s” to “Women’s” in program and building names, developed the first professional dance curriculum at Illinois, and initiated motor fitness testing for physical education students.
Marianne Ferber joined UIUC's Economics Department around 1948 and became a prominent figure in “feminist economics.” She was a Professor of Economics, served as Head of Women’s Studies from 1979-1983 and 1991-1993, and was a member of the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession in the 1970s. She also co-founded the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) and...
Lila Jeanne Eichelberger, known as “Shorty,” graduated from UIUC around 1949 and has been a devoted supporter of the University and 4-H. A President’s Council and Chancellor’s Circle Member, she has been a leader in athletics, particularly women's sports, and helped develop Illinois’ softball team. She is a Varsity “I” and was recently inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame.- Marietta Stevenson joined UIUC’s School of Social Work in 1943, after serving as assistant director of the American Public Welfare Association for 12 years. She became the school’s first dean, renamed the program, and in 1950 became the first woman on the Illinois Public Aid Commission. She retired in 1961, leaving the social work program significantly strengthened.
Millicent Sloboda Lane graduated in 1944 with a degree in Advertising and Publishing from UIUC. She was the first female editor-in-chief of the *Daily Illini*, where she used the newspaper to advocate for military trainees and veterans on campus.
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow earned her Master’s in Physics in 1942 and Ph.D. in 1945 from UIUC. As one of the few women in science at the time, she was the only female teaching assistant among 400 faculty members in 1941. In 1977, she co-won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for developing radioimmunoassay, becoming the first American-born woman and the second woman overall to win a Nobel...