Helen Magill was born in Providence, Rhode Island back in 1853 to Edward and Sarah. She was brought up to believe she deserved the same education as a man. All five of the Magill daughters were educated to become college teachers. In 1959, the family moved to Boston, Massachusetts where she was the only female student in the Boston Public Latin School. My guess would be it was because her father taught French and Latin there for three years, being promoted to submaster.
In 1869, her father joined the faculty of Swarthmore College. she entered as an undergraduate. In 1871, her father was selected as the second president, a position he held for the next 17 years. Helen served as principal for a private school in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In 1883, she was chosen to help organize Hollard Collegiate Institute in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. She resigned in 1887 due to family reasons. She married Andrew the same year, the union produced three children. After her husband died she lived in Kittery Point, Maine where she died in 1994, she was 90.
What you may not know about Helen is that she was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States from Boston University in 1877.
NW Arkansas, come for a visit, stay for a lifetime.
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