Cox Hall, built in 1960 and now connected to Dabney Hall, is named after statistician Gertrude Mary Cox, who founded the Department of Experimental Statistics in the School of Agriculture. In 1940, she... Cox Hall, built in 1960 and now connected to Dabney Hall, is named after statistician Gertrude Mary Cox, who founded the Department of Experimental Statistics in the School of Agriculture. In 1940, she became NC State's first female full professor. She also served as president of the American Statistical Association. After retiring from NC State in 1960, she lead the Statistics Research Division of the Research Triangle Institute. In 1975, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.