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1860: Frances Ann Devereux Polk, aka Mrs. Leonidas Polk, moved to a house in Sewanee with her husband Leonidas Polk just after the cornerstone was laid.

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1860: Frances Ann Devereux Polk, aka Mrs. Leonidas Polk, moved to a house in Sewanee with her husband Leonidas Polk just after the cornerstone was laid.

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---. Sewanee Ladies. Proctor’s Hall Press, 2007, pp. 7–10.

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1874: Mary Williams Dunbar opens a private school for Sewanee children and “transient visitors”.

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1874: Mary Williams Dunbar opens a private school for Sewanee children and “transient visitors”.

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---. Sewanee Ladies. Proctor’s Hall Press, 2007, pp. 24–25.

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1885: Sarah Dismukes McCrady helped fund the first McCrady Hall which became a residence for Sewanee students.

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1885: Sarah Dismukes McCrady helped fund the first McCrady Hall which became a residence for Sewanee students.

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---. Sewanee Ladies. Proctor’s Hall Press, 2007, pp. 41–45.

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1887: The Sewanee Circulating Library was opened by Sophia Dabney Thurmond and her three sisters. It was renamed to the Thurmond Memorial Library in 1910 in memory of Mrs. Thurmond.

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1887: The Sewanee Circulating Library was opened by Sophia Dabney Thurmond and her three sisters. It was renamed to the Thurmond Memorial Library in 1910 in memory of Mrs. Thurmond.

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---. Sewanee Ladies. Proctor’s Hall Press, 2007, pp. 45–46.

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1892: Susan Dabney Smedes arrived at Sewanee with her two sisters, Leila Jacqueline Dabney, and Sarah Dabney Eggleston, and together they built Gladstone Cottage which became a boarding house for many university residents.

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1892: Susan Dabney Smedes arrived at Sewanee with her two sisters, Leila Jacqueline Dabney, and Sarah Dabney Eggleston, and together they built Gladstone Cottage which became a boarding house for many university residents.

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---. Sewanee Ladies. Proctor’s Hall Press, 2007, pp. 38–41.

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1896: St.-Mary’s-on-the-Mountain opened with around 20 students. The school encountered financial difficulties that caused it to be temporarily closed and even saw a fire that burnt it to the ground in 1909. However, Sister Hughetta led the charge to get the school back on its feet and it became a place for schoolgirls to get a “plain English education”.

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1896: St.-Mary’s-on-the-Mountain opened with around 20 students. The school encountered financial difficulties that caused it to be temporarily closed and even saw a fire that burnt it to the ground in 1909. However, Sister Hughetta led the charge to get the school back on its feet and it became a place for schoolgirls to get a “plain English education”.

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Carpenter, Jill. Sewanee Ladies. Proctor’s Hall Press, 2007, pp. 60–63.

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1918: Mary Nunnally Eggleston, aka Mrs. E, placed a flag with 45 stars on the front of Magnolia Hall. The 45 stars represented the number of boys from the hall who had been sent off to fight in the war.

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1918: Mary Nunnally Eggleston, aka Mrs. E, placed a flag with 45 stars on the front of Magnolia Hall. The 45 stars represented the number of boys from the hall who had been sent off to fight in the war.

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Carpenter, Jill. Sewanee Ladies. Proctor’s Hall Press, 2007, p. 94.

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1947: First ever full-time female professor, Gertrude Van Zandt, was hired as an assistant Chemistry professor.

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1947: First ever full-time female professor, Gertrude Van Zandt, was hired as an assistant Chemistry professor.

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The first-ever woman placed on faculty was Charlotte Gailor, who taught drawing. There had been other women faculty during the war years, but no woman had ever been appointed to a tenure track position. That fact changed in 1947 when Gertrude Van Zandt was hired as an assistant professor of chemistry. This marked a huge change in the attitude of the University, as all of the sudden, there was an open door for a new generation of female educators to exhibit their talents at Sewanee. This could only have led to positive change, as the mindset around the issue of admitting women to your university changes when those same students are being taught by women. In 1956, Van Zandt was terminated, however, “there is no clear indication that [her superiors] had consulted the faculty committee” on this issue. (Williamson et al., Sewanee Sesquicentennial History.) The issue isn't elaborated on any further in the book but does make serious indications that there was some form of foul play going on.

Source: Williamson, Samuel R., Annie Armour, Gerald LaFayette Smith, Henry Nutt Parsley (Jr), and Jon Meacham. Sewanee Sesquicentennial History, 2008.

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1961: Vice Chancellor Uses the Cost of Building a Women's College as a Reason Not to Admit Female Undergraduate Students

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1961: Vice Chancellor Uses the Cost of Building a Women's College as a Reason Not to Admit Female Undergraduate Students

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Vice Chancellor McCrady was much more focused on building a second men's college. He asserted that the University could not afford 7.5 million dollars needed to build a women's college because the second men's college needed to be built. Even in 1971, 2 years after the matriculation of women on the campus, he still pushed for a separate women's college to be built.

Source: Williamson Jr., Samson. Sewanee Sesquicentennial History. The University of the South, 2008, p. 329

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1967-1968: Much fewer applications than expected

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1967-1968: Much fewer applications than expected

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The amount of applications to Sewanee shrinks by 200 within the space of 2 years. By comparison, other colleges application rates were "exploding", according to the book "Sewanee Sequential History". This acted as a big motivator for allowing women's matriculation into the University. This also disproved the need that Vice Chancellor McCrady pushed for a second men's college. Clearly there was not a large influx of men applying to Sewanee at the time. At this time, the idea of multiple colleges among faculty had a "mixed reception", but the idea of admitting female undergraduate students was "overwhelmingly favorable" to the faculty.

Source: Williamson Jr., Samson. Sewanee Sesquicentennial History. The University of the South, 2008, p. 330

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1968: AAUP Votes in Favor of Matriculation of Female Students at University

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1968: AAUP Votes in Favor of Matriculation of Female Students at University

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This again greatly contributes to the decision to add female students to the University.

Source: Williamson Jr., Samson. Sewanee Sesquicentennial History. The University of the South, 2008, p. 330

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1969: Resolution Passed by the University trustees to admit "not more than 100 qualified women students into the University"

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1969: Resolution Passed by the University trustees to admit "not more than 100 qualified women students into the University"

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It is important to note that this applied specifically to admitting female undergraduate students. There had been female graduate students at the University before this resolution was passed. The limitation of "not more than 100" was scrapped before the first female students were matriculated. This resolution was passed against the Vice Chancellor's wishes.

Source: Williamson Jr., Samson. Sewanee Sesquicentennial History. The University of the South, 2008, p. 331

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1969: Judith Ward Lineback became the first woman student to matriculate on to Sewanee’s campus in a class of 83 freshmen and 23 collegiate transfer students.

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1969: Judith Ward Lineback became the first woman student to matriculate on to Sewanee’s campus in a class of 83 freshmen and 23 collegiate transfer students.

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Source: South, University of the. “Sewanee Alumni News Vol.36 1970.” DSpace Home, 1970. https://dspace.sewanee.edu/handle/11005/2587.

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1970: The first ever mention of a female in the Sewanee Alumni magazine. 

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1970: The first ever mention of a female in the Sewanee Alumni magazine. 

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Lanalee Lewis, a junior transfer student from Mt. Holyoke, was a Biology, pre-med student who was the proctor of Benedict Hall. Her bolded statement is ‘You can dream at Sewanee’ but goes on to talk about the ‘isolation’ that women felt at the University. (of the South, “Sewanee Alumni News Vol.36 1970.”) She cites certain times when she overheard the boys talking about how to go about treating her, asking if she'd be 'one of the boys.' (of the South, “Sewanee Alumni News Vol.36 1970.”) Likewise, she elaborates more on her feeling of isolation, stating that 'there are no girls anywhere.' (of the South, “Sewanee Alumni News Vol.36 1970.”) With this small inclusion, the school began to accept its new identity as a coeducational institution, allowing the transition for the women to be a little bit easier.

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1971: 16 percent of the Student Body is female.

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1971: 16 percent of the Student Body is female.

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Mary Pryor, Sewanee Women's Conference 1975 Discover Women Poster , 2021, Taken on iPhone SE, University Archives, Sewanee, TN.

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1973: Sewanee Conferences on Women Begin

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1973: Sewanee Conferences on Women Begin

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The Sewanee Conferences on Women began shortly after the matriculation of women, and became a recurring event in the 70s, and then a more stable event from 1980-2001. These conferences on women's issues became a way for women to advocate for themselves at Sewanee, and in the larger world. The conferences featured speakers like Wilma Rudolph and relevant political figures, and had bands and lectures as well. Dean Mary Sue Cushman, along with a few other females at the University to "help women establish themselves" (Croom 1984). The Conference was created to have four main purposes-- to inform choices and possibilities, to promote an exchange of ideas, to invite women who excel in their fields to Sewanee, and to acquaint women to feel more at home in a predominantly male institution (Croom 1984).

Citation: Croom , Henrietta. “Sewanee Conference on Women .” Introduction. Sewanee, TN: University of the South, 1984.

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1973: Linda Mayes was named the first ever female Valedictorian at Sewanee.

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1973: Linda Mayes was named the first ever female Valedictorian at Sewanee.

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1974: Sewanee Purple announces its first ever female lead editor.

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1974: Sewanee Purple announces its first ever female lead editor.

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1975: The Honor Council appoints its first ever female chair.

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1975: The Honor Council appoints its first ever female chair.

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Source: ——. “Sewanee Purple,1975 : University of the South : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.” Internet Archive. University of the South

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1975: The University’s new Title IX policy saw the creation of female athletics teams, with an initial grant of $3,600 given. 

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1975: The University’s new Title IX policy saw the creation of female athletics teams, with an initial grant of $3,600 given. 

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Citations: Hoglan, Laura, and Larry Stewart . “Chaplains Express Views On Convention.” The Sewanee Purple, October 1, 1976. 

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1976: General Convention of the Episcopal Church Grants Ability for Women to Become Ordained Priests

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1976: General Convention of the Episcopal Church Grants Ability for Women to Become Ordained Priests

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Following the 1976 Convention of the Episcopal Church, the decision to allow women was granted, and the Book of Common Prayer was revised as a result. This made its way to Sewanee, and was met with great acceptance, yet some hesitation. Many priests noted that this change of women would give some much needed diversity and dimension to services at Sewanee. This was a momentous occasion for Episcopalian women, especially women at Sewanee.

Citation: Hoglan, Laura, and Larry Stewart . “Chaplains Express Views On Convention.” The Sewanee Purple , October 1, 1976.

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Source: Internet Archive. “Sewanee News, 1981 : University of the South : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.” University of the South, 198

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1977: Theta Kappa Phi was founded, the first sorority ever on the mountain. This addition was followed by the founding of four other sororities in the next three years. 

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1977: Theta Kappa Phi was founded, the first sorority ever on the mountain. This addition was followed by the founding of four other sororities in the next three years. 

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In 1977, Sororities finally broke through onto the fraternity-dominated campus when a group of girls had “concealed meetings” (“Sewanee Purple,1977 : University of the South : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.”) and came out with the decision to form the local sorority chapter of Theta Kappa Phi. Marcia McFadden, the co-founder, noted “the over-reliance of women in the fraternity system” and decided that the ‘women need[ed] a place to call their own.’ (“Sewanee Purple,1977 : University of the South : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.”) A large group of girls congregated in the library to hear the announcement and were a bit concerned about the “exclusive and elite” nature of the club. (“Sewanee Purple,1977 : University of the South : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.”) Dr. Cushman, Dean of Women at the time, was quick to point out alternatives, citing “Interdorm Council and Women’s Service League.” (“Sewanee Purple,1977 : University of the South : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.”) Despite numerous complaints from students and faculty members alike, the sorority was founded nonetheless, and in doing so, another monumental step was taken for the women of Sewanee. With the founding of this sorority, women on this campus suddenly had far more social freedoms than ever before. Rather than having to rely on the fraternities for social events, the newly founded sorority could provide another outlet. In the next three years, four more sororities would be founded, with those being ADT, Theta Pi, GTU, and PKE.

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Photo Citation: Letter to Sewanee Chapter of Now . “Sewanee Conference on Women Committee.” Sewanee, TN: The University of the South, February 29, 1996. 

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The NOW (National Organization for Women) chapter of Sewanee began in the 1970s but was officially organized and set in stone in 1981, beginning with 40 members (Williamson et al 2008). This was spearheaded by Kathy Backlund and planned to address issues of Violence Against Women, and was framed as a "Feminist, Pro Choice, pro gay and lesbian rights group" on campus (Harris 1994). They made calls to senators, held meetings and lectures, and acted as a women's activist group on campus, as well as an advocacy group.

Citations:
Williamson, Samuel R., Gerald L. Smith, Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Jon Meacham, Bran Potter, Gerald L. Smith, Sean T. Suarez, et al. Sewanee Perspectives: On the History of the University of the South. Sewanee, TN: University of the South, 2008.

Harris, Barbara. “The Here and NOW: The National Organization of Women .” The Sewanee Purple , February 28, 1994.

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Photo source: Internet Archive. “Sewanee News, 1981 : University of the South : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.” University of the Sout

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1981: Ramona Doyle was named the first ever female Rhodes Scholar from Sewanee.

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1981: Ramona Doyle was named the first ever female Rhodes Scholar from Sewanee.

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Romana Doyle, an English major, became Sewanee’s first-ever woman Rhode’s Scholar and the 20th recipient in the school's history. The award became available to women in 1976, just five years prior. She notes the lack of well-roundedness in regards to Sewanee’s women athletics programs, as participation in athletics was required for the award then. Two other women were nominated with her in the group of nine nominees. The first, Martha Gibson, was a  philosophy major, and Shannon Johnston, the second nominee, was a philosophy and music major. This achievement marked a huge step for the Sewanee community as a whole. The school had seen its women succeed on the local scale, with valedictorians and honor council members being a few achievements, but it had yet to see its female students be recognized on a national scale. Since then, seven out of the last eight Sewanee Rhodes scholars have been women.

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1982: Women's Interdormitory Council founded

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1982: Women's Interdormitory Council founded

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The Women's Interdormitory Council was chartered in 1982 in order to serve the women's population with resources and events as programming in the early days, in partnership with the Women's Center. They were the early programming before the days of the Wick and helped co sponsor events with groups like NOW and the Sewanee Conference on Women.

Citation: “Women's Interdorm Council.” Sewanee, TN: The University of the South, n.d.

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Photo Citation: University Professional Women. “Membership List ,” 1983. 

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1983: Chartering of the University Professional Women group

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1983: Chartering of the University Professional Women group

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The University Professional Women group was an active group on campus chartered in 1983 that provided basic skills, such as communication and professionalism workshops, to early Sewanee women to help them succeed, and also partnered with the Conference for Women. Their goals were self awareness, self improvement, and self confidence, and gave trainings like career paths, listening skills, and other things at each meeting or luncheon (University Professional Women 1982). This was to provide professional standards for women to lead and give them a step ahead in a world dominated by men.

Citation: University Professional Women. “Membership Form,” 1982.

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1984: Women overtake men as the majority on campus.

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1984: Women overtake men as the majority on campus.

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Photo Citation: Mary Pryor, Photo of Bacchus Resources, 2021, shot on iPhone SE, Sewanee Archives, Sewanee, TN. 

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BACCHUS, or "Boost Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students" was chartered by women in 1984. Many alums described in the 25 year anniversary of matriculation service how BACCHUS became a way for women to spearhead initiatives on campus on sexual assault prevention and acting as a a safe ride for people to make it home after nights out. Martha Kelly was the president in 1984 and said, "We are first and foremost an orga-
nization that will strive not towards promoting
abstinence but towards promoting a responsible
and mature attitude among Sewanee students
concerning alcohol consumption" (Pryor 2021). Bacchus, up until the pandemic, served as a resource for students to get back and forth with active bystanders present.

Citation:

Rogers, Laurie Jarrett. Celebrating Sewanee Women: 25 Years Survey Booklet . Sewanee, TN, 1994.

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October 1984: Kristen Erickson becomes lay minister

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October 1984: Kristen Erickson becomes lay minister

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Kristen Erickson, while not the first person appointed to a lay ministry position in Sewanee but was brought under other women's groups out of Chattanooga to work at Sewanee. The Purple notes that "she began her work here in the fall of 1983 after receiving a diploma in Lay Ministry from Trin ity Episcopal School of Ministry in Pittsburg, Pa. Before going to Trinity, she received a B.S. in human development from the University of Georgia at Athens after which she worked for Cutter Laboratories as a Medical Sales Representative for two years" (McCrossen 1984).

Citation: McCrossen, Kai. “A Revival in Sewanee: Erickson, Gwynne Serve in Lay Ministry.” The Sewanee Purple , October 19, 1984.

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Source: South, University of the. “Sewanee Purple,1985 : University of the South : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.” Internet Archive. U

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1985: Kim Valek becomes the first-ever woman from Sewanee to make an All-American team, propelling the women's basketball team to an outstanding season.

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1985: Kim Valek becomes the first-ever woman from Sewanee to make an All-American team, propelling the women's basketball team to an outstanding season.

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1986: Dedication of the Bairnwick Women's Center 

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1986: Dedication of the Bairnwick Women's Center 

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The Interdorm Council served a purpose to put on programming and the Women's Center was originally beside Elliott Hall, but moved to the Bairnwick house after it was gifted to the University in the 1980s. This is the current Wick house, which is now under repair.

Citation: Smith, Gerald L., Sean T. Suarez, and Samuel R. Williamson. Sewanee Places: A Historical Gazetteer of the Domain and the Sewanee Area. Sewanee, TN: The University of the South, 2010.

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Editor. “Students' Morality at Sewanee Questioned .” The Sewanee Purple. May 9, 1986. 

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1986: "Protest and Prayer" Reproductive and Sexual Health Debate

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1986: "Protest and Prayer" Reproductive and Sexual Health Debate

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Following the hiring of a Health Officer and a University Statement called "A Protest and A Prayer" regarding the denial to hand out contraceptives at the University submitted by six citizens in 1986, who cited the prevalence of abortion and STDs at the University. They note that while there was no confirmed case of AIDS yet, noting that this is when the pandemic began, they believed that the University should be responsible for holding up Christian morality in alignment with the church. Many students released statements via The Purple to express their sentiments, mostly women.  The University expressed via their health liaison that her stance was fairly similar, which students cited. In the booklet on student experiences after 25 years of women at the University in 1994, many women cited this as a major issue that happened during their time in which they felt oppressed or took to activism to fight for their concerns.

Citation:

Editor. “Students' Morality at Sewanee Questioned .” The Sewanee Purple. May 9, 1986.
Editors . “A Time for Action.” The Sewanee Purple. December 5, 1986.

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2018: Revocation of  Charlie Rose's Honorary Degree

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2018: Revocation of  Charlie Rose's Honorary Degree

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Following the issued honorary degree of talk show host Charlie Rose in 2016 by the University, many women actively argued to revoke his degree in 2018, including student trustees Claire Brickson and Mary Margaret Murdock who brought this concern to the Board of Regents. Rose admitted that year that he had sexually harassed many of his colleagues, which engendered feelings of discomfort and trauma for many women on this campus, past and present to have that association on campus. Many protests ensued after a not so pleasant first reaction from the Board, but eventually after a 2/3 majority vote in March, the degree was rescinded. This acted as a demonstration of collective action on campus, and this was a small win for women, as this sexual misconduct was addressed and handled.

Citation: Smith, Fleming. “Board of Regents Revokes Charlie Rose's Honorary Degree after Protests.” The Sewanee Purple, November 11, 2019. https://thesewaneepurple.org/2018/03/21/board-of-regents-revoke-roses-honorary-degree-after-protests/.

Picture Citation: Hembree, Matthew. On February 22, More than 200 People Gathered in the University Quad to Protest the Board of Regents’ Decision to Maintain Charlie Rose’s Honorary Degree. February 23, 2018. TENSION BUILDS AFTER CHARLIE ROSE DECISION PROMPTS OUTRAGE. https://thesewaneepurple.org/2018/02/23/tension-builds-after-charlie-rose-decision-prompts-outrage/.

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Over 1,000 alumni return to campus to celebrate 50+ Years of Women at Sewanee.

Source: 50 Years of Women on the Mountain. Sewanee.edu.