Firsts

Miss Amy Fisher, class of 1895, was the first "regular lady teacher" associated with "this historic old institution." She had been in charge of the study halls at the Prep School, but in Spring 1896 began to teach regular classes at Dickinson. The rest of this entry in the Dickinsonian lauds the College on its liberal views:

This dinner program honors Miss May Morris in Morgan Hall on November 2, 1956, the year of her returement. Born in June 29, 1886, May Morris, Class of 1909, became Dickinson College's librarian in 1927 and revitalized its collection, budget, and general organization. She received her Ph. B. from Dickinson and a degree from the Pratt Institute of Library Science in Brooklyn, NY. When Miss Morris became Dickinson's librarian, there was only one librarian, one assistant, 52,000 volumes and a budget of $6,050.

 

Candid shot of African American female students on Dickinson's campus, 1973. Dickinson College increases its diversity from the first woman to graduate in 1887, to the first known African American student graduating in 1901, and to the first known African American female student graduating in 1919.

Isabel Endslow, the first president of Women's Student Government, is captured in this photograph from 1918.

This letter, dated September 5, 1945, was written by Esther Popel Shaw, the first African American female graduate of Dickinson College 1919, to Mr. Boyd Lee Spahr of the Board of Trustees. Writing from her post at the National Association of College Women, Esther Popel Shaw defends herself and her race against Spahr's "apparent lack of awareness of what constitutes acceptable designations when racial references are involved" as well as racial injustice when it comes to college housing for African American students.

Mabel Tomkinson was the captain of the first women's basketball team at Dickinson. The Microcosm lists her as being the "renowned captain of the Girl's Varsity Basketball Team of 1903."

In 1904, the Microcosm printed the first picture of the first women's basketball team at Dickinson.  The Microcosm notes that the women's basketball team performed at the college's Twelfth Annual Mid-Winter Sports. At this event Kathleen Gooding and Mary Hoover's teams competed. The teams were called 'Red' and 'Blue' and the final score shows the Reds winning at 6 points to the Blues 3 points. It lists Misses Gooding, Armstrong, Hertzler and Schaeffer as Guards, Misses Tomkinson and Hoover as Centers, Misses Waite, Morrison, Schwoyer, and D. Hoover as Forwards and Miss Reese as a sub.

The Microcosm's 1937 edition documents the addition of the first co-ed addition to the cheerleading group.  Floyde Williams' addition to the group was said to have created a “well-balanced team” that “publicly earned recognition as a most desirable cheerleading unit.”

The 1900 Microcosm was the first year to show women participating in the Gamma Literary Society. This literary society is special to the Preparatory School and included four female members. No further information is known about the society.

The Dickinson School of Law in the 1900s Microcosm mentions that Sara Marvel, the first woman to be studying law there.