Betty Lou Bailey graduated from UIUC in 1950 with a degree in Mechanical Science and Engineering, ranking in the top 3% of her 700-student class as the only female. She worked as a registered professional engineer in Ohio and New York and was active in technical organizations like the National Society of Professional Engineers. Betty Lou was the first female member of the Engineering Society of...
Chung Sul Yuon, an international student from South Korea, graduated in 1955 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. She was the first woman in over 30 years and the first Korean woman to major in the field. Involved in Orchesis and serving as Class Secretary and Treasurer, she received a gift from the wife of the South Korean President at Commencement in recognition of her achievement.
Clarice Davis Presnell graduated in 1952 with a degree in political science and was the first African American Homecoming Queen at UIUC and in Big Ten history, receiving over 5,000 votes. She was also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Duck Choo Oh, a Korean native, graduated with a degree in Sociology in 1956. She was the only Korean Homecoming Queen in the tradition's history in 1955. Active in McKinley Hall’s social events, she completed her degree with a scholarship from the Women’s Group System and Panhellenic Council.
Jane Hayes Rader graduated from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1954 and joined the Board of Trustees in 1973. As a student, she was active in university proceedings, student government, Pi Beta Phi, and the Star Course, and volunteered with the “Foster Daughter” program. As an alum, she served on the UI Foundation, Alumni Association, and Athletic Association, advocating for female...
Jean Due earned her M.S. in 1950 and Ph.D. in 1953 from UIUC and became a professor in Agricultural and Consumer Economics. She focused on international agriculture and was a development economist specializing in East Africa. Committed to improving women’s lives through agriculture and microfinancing, she made over 40 trips to East Africa. In February 2016, Time Magazine listed her as the 15th...
Nancy Brazell Brooks graduated in 1953 with a Master’s in Civil Engineering and became the first woman on the department’s graduate research staff. From 1953 to 1955, she led research for the U.S. Air Force’s Physical Vulnerability Division. In 1998, she received the first Distinguished Alumna Award from the Civil Engineering Department. Before her death in 2008, she and her husband established a...
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...