Celebrating 100 Years of Women at NC State University

18901901-19191920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s

 


1970

Samiha Mourad was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from NC State University.


Cathy Sterling was the first woman to be elected student body president. She led the student body in a retreat to protest the invasion of Cambodia. Her report, "Due to Circumstances beyond Our Control," resulted in a greater student role in the spending of student fees. Sterling says of her decision to run for student body president, "A few weeks before the election, a few friends asked me to run for president, and I just did it. I don't know why I did it, but I just did." -- Raleigh Times, Friday, February 1, 1985, p. 1B.

Sterling coauthored "Due to Circumstances Beyond Our Control" with John Hester and Woody Kinney.
 





Photograph of Cathy SterlingPhotograph of Cathy Sterling
Photograph of Cathy Sterling

Cathy Sterling
Photograph Collection
University Archives, NCSU Libraries

 

   


Photograph of Mary Porterfield, Michael Brown, and Bryce Younts.

Mary Porterfield (left); Michael Brown of Fayetteville, NC, an NCSU architectural major (center); Bryce Younts, director of NCSU Alumni Affairs Office (right).
Photograph Collection
University Archives, NCSU Libraries

  

Mary Evelyn Porterfield was the first black Miss NCSU.
 

1971

Jane Carol Pickard was the first woman valedictorian at NC State.


1973

Nannette Smith Henderson was the first black woman to be awarded a Ph.D. at NC State University. Her degree was in plant pathology.

Aziza Ragai El-Lozy was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. degree in materials engineering.

Samia Galal Abdel Hamid Saad was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. degree in civil engineering.

Kathy Bounds, Deb Webb, and Genie Jordan organized a basketball club for women.


1974

The first varsity women's basketball team at NC State took the court.


 



Photo of the 1974-1975 Women's basketball team.

Women's Basketball Team,
1974-75 N.C. State University
Photograph Collection
University Archives, NCSU Libraries

 

   

Anna Keller was appointed director of admissions and became the first woman division officer in the central administration.


1975

Photo of Barbara Parramore.

Barbara Parramore
Photograph Collection
University Archives, NCSU Libraries


  

Barbara Parramore became the second female department head as head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at its founding in January 1975.

 

Delta Sigma Theta was the first black sorority chartered at NC State.


1976

The first NC State woman to be named an All-American athlete was Susan Yow.



 


Photo of Susan Yow.

Susan Yow
Photograph Collection
University Archives, NCSU Libraries

 

   

1977

Mary E. (Betty) Wheeler became the third female department head as head of the Department of History in January 1977.


1979

Photo of Eveyln Spence.

Evelyn Spence
News Release no. 569, December 19, 1978.
Photograph Collection
University Archives, NCSU Libraries

 


Evelyn Spence was the first female AFROTC cadet commander.

 

 

 


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