Mary Belle Sweet’s predecessor as the University of Idaho’s head librarian was Margaret McCallie Moore. A U of I alumna, Moore was one of the first students to enroll at the University when it opened its doors in 1892. The administration building had not been completed when she arrived, and...
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Wonder Women
A series of posts featuring women at the university and broader community.
22 Posts
Noted Educator Aurelia Henry Reinhardt
In 1898, the University of Idaho hired Aurelia Henry before she graduated from UC Berkeley to teach elocution and physical culture–physical culture being women’s physical education. While at the U of I, she started the first dramatics club on the university campus. Aurelia Henry poses as Kate Hardcastle in Idaho...
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Dianne S. Milhollin
In 1977, Dianne S. Milhollin became the first coordinator of the Student Disability Services subdivision. This service fell under the Student Advisory Services department and was a result of the Rehabilitation Act in 1973. This act ruled that all federally funded institutions must provide accommodations to all programs for students...
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Seven Women, Seven Stars
The Pleiades Club
In 1892, seven wives of University of Idaho faculty members gathered together in the home of Jennie Gault with one thing in mind: book club.
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Martha Jane Whitman
First Woman Regent
Martha Whitman was born Martha Jane Jamison on February 12, 1863 in Quawaka, IL. Though little is known of her childhood years, later in life Martha worked as a stenographer in Paris, Idaho and then as a court stenographer in Pocatello. She played a role in transcribing Idaho’s territorial records...
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Louise Shadduck
The Lioness of Idaho
Last summer, the University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives applied for a grant to process the papers of Idaho journalist, political activist, public servant, author, speaker, and lobbyist, Louise Shadduck. Offered through the Idaho State Historical Records Advisory Board this grant provided funding for archival materials and to supplement...
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Gertrude Chrisman
The Not Forgotten Sister of Jennie Eva Hughes
When delving into the historic record, sometimes you find that things that you thought to be true, are in fact not. In some cases, trusted sources can be wrong, like us. For example, previously we have made the claim that Jennie Eva Hughes was the first Black graduate at the...
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Corlann Gee Bush Papers
Diverse Collections
This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features our collection of Corlann Gee Bush Papers.
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Lily Wai
Wonder Women
![Lily Wai [1]](https://webpages.uidaho.edu/library/spec/harvester/objects/thumbs/mg390_box4-folder70_th.jpg)
Lily Wai was born in Hangzhou, China on 29 September 1939. In 1946, her parents and three siblings moved to the village of Wu-er in Taiwan. In 1961, Wai moved to Kansas for graduate school and met her husband Chien. They married in Los Angeles in 1965.
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Grace Fenton
Wonder Women
Grace Fenton Roberts was the first woman to graduate from the College of Engineering at the University of Idaho, graduating in 1938. Unfortunately, not much is known about her exact degree program or what she went on to do with her degree.
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Rei Kihara Osaki
Wonder Women
![Bench and Bar [1]](https://webpages.uidaho.edu/library/spec/harvester/objects/thumbs/pg2-208-5_th.jpg)
(All information here adapted from the 2002 UI College of Law Annual Report.)
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QED
Math Professor Elna Grahn
To wrap up Women’s History Month, we celebrate University of Idaho Math Professor Elna Grahn. Born Elna Hilliard in 1913, Elna received her both bachelors and masters in math from the University of Wisconsin. Elna joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, later the Women’s Army Corps, and served on active...
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100 Years of Women's Suffrage
![Joint Resolution No.2 [1]](https://webpages.uidaho.edu/library/spec/harvester/objects/thumbs/MG5768_th.jpg)
Today, we are commemorating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. After a decades long struggle, the women’s suffrage movement saw the United States Congress grant women the right to vote. This momentous moment was a large step towards women’s equality in the country, allowing women to...
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Jennie Eva Hughes
Wonder Women
![Jennie Eva Hughes [1]](https://webpages.uidaho.edu/library/spec/harvester/objects/thumbs/MG5758_001_th.jpg)
Jennie Eva Hughes (Smith) was the first Black student to graduate from the University of Idaho (Class of 1899)!
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International Women's Day - Betsy Thomas
Betsy Thomas in the studio at KRFP Radio, 1988
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Honoring Our Veterans - Elizabeth Allen
In 1941, Congress approved the creation of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), later replaced by the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), ensuring women who served in support of the Army would be afforded all the rights and benefits of soldiers.
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Nellie Stockbridge
Nellie Stockbridge was a pioneering photographer.
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Permeal J. French - Dean of Women Students
![Permeal J. French [1]](https://webpages.uidaho.edu/library/spec/harvester/objects/thumbs/171674808458_0_th.jpg)
Dean of Women Students, Permeal J. French came to the University of Idaho in 1908 and served as Dean of Women until her retirement in 1936.
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Jean'ne Shreeve
Women in STEM
![Dr. Jean'ne M. Shreeve [2]](https://webpages.uidaho.edu/library/spec/harvester/objects/thumbs/171668994003_1_th.jpg)
Since arriving in 1961, Distinguished Professor Dr. Jean’ne M. Shreeve has established a reputation as a world authority on fluorine chemistry, published more than 500 scholarly journal articles, and served on numerous boards and committees, including as Chair of the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science from 2003-2007....
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International Women's Day - M. Belle Sweet
In honor of International Women’s Day, we recognizes the achievements of M. Belle Sweet, the library’s first professional librarian.
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Idaho Day
Gracie Pfost collection materials
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M. Belle Sweet Establishes Special Collections
Because organizations (like other organisms) grow and change, it is not always possible to mark their precise point of beginning. Appropriately, however, the library’s Department of Special Collections and Archives holds just such a document recording its early beginnings.
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