Coeducation, 1860s - 1960s

While women would not be allowed to formally enroll as degree-seeking students until the 1970s, young women did take classes at Davidson as early as 1861. This is first demonstrated in a letter written by Davidson College student James Greenlee (Davidson College Class of 1863) in 1861. The letter announced the presence of some of John Kirkpatrick's (the college president) seven daughters in classes at the college.  Greenlee discusses the "excitement" felt by the other male students on campus, though he does not list the names of the daughters attending the institution. On the Ancestry.com profile for the Reverend John Kirkpatrick, nine of his and Mary Kirkpatrick's twelve children are identified as daughters, a few of whom may have been the young women mentioned in the letter. 

 

You can read Greenlee's reflections in a partial scan of his 1861 letter, below.

 

Portion of James Greenlee's letter announcing the arrival of the Kirkpatrick sisters. By the 1860s President Kirkpatrick's daughters were attending classes, and by 1896 women were teaching music classes.

Portion of James Greenlee's letter announcing the arrival of the Kirkpatrick sisters.

Taken from DC0115s.

 

In the 1870s, Mary Jane Scofield, daughter of a local farmer, took private tutoring from the Davidson College faculty.  She mastered Latin, but was refused mathematics tutelage. The professor was convinced Scofield already knew as much math "as any woman needed."

 

By the 1890s, more women attended classes "by courtesy" of the faculty, but not as fully enrolled students. Among these women were Blanche Dupuy, Lucy Martin, and Annie Brown. According to author Mary Beaty in her book, A History of Davidson College:

 

"Miss Brown put the faculty in something of a quandary by her perseverance and success. Far from collapsing under the strain of academic work, she took courses for four years and completed all the requirements for the A.B. degree" (198-199). 

 

Brown was not granted the degree. Instead,  Brown was given a certificate stating she had completed all of the degree requirements in May 1901.

 

Around this time period, Lucy Martin's sister, Mary Martin, continued the tradition of faculty daughters attending classes at Davidson College. The two sisters are pictured below. 

 

Lucy Martin was considered a member of the class of 1898, while her sister Mary went on to medical school in Pennsylvania after being denied access to important courses at the North Carolina Medical College in Davidson because of her gender. Mary Martin Sloop became a physician and prominent community leader in Crossnore, North Carolina where she established the Crossnore School. For her achievements in the areas of community health and education, Dr. Mary Martin Sloop was named America's Mother of the Year in 1951.  You can learn more about Dr. Sloop in her memoir, Miracle in the Hills, the publication from which this information was sourced.

 

Lucy and Mary Martin continued the tradition of faculty daughters attending Davidson. Lucy was considered a member of the class of 1898, her sister Mary went on to medical school and became a physician.

Lucy and Mary Martin

 

Gladys Summers also completed the requirements for the B.S. course of study in 1906, and although she also did not receive a degree, she "had the satisfaction of hearing her accomplishments announced on commencement day."

 

According to the 1909 Quips and Cranks,  two other women followed in Gladys Summers' footsteps. Miss Bertha Fleming was listed as pursuing the A.B. course of study, while Miss Susan Summers pursued a B.S. degree. We learn more about Susan Summers in the September 6, 1905 and September 13, 1905 Davidson College faculty minutes. The faculty allowed her to enroll at Davidson College at the age of 17 after graduating from Davidson High School. Summers' and Fleming's yearbook profiles are pictured below.

 

These women were following in the footsteps of Brown and the earlier Miss Summers, undertaking the degree course of study without receiving a formal degree. Nevertheless, these women were the first to be acknowledged in the college annual, as seen in a page from the 1909 Quips and Cranks that features brief biographies of the students, below.

 

They are also listed in a later special edition of the alumni catalog, published in 1924. The catalog implies Bertha Fleming got married and changed her name to Bertha Webb. She is listed as a teacher in Statesville, North Carolina. Susan Summers is also listed as a teacher, having taught in Tennessee, New Orleans, and Gulfport. After receiving an education from Davidson College, these women went on to educate future generations. 

 

 

According to the 1909 Quips and Cranks, Miss Bertha Fleming was pursing the A.B. course of study, while Miss Susan Summers pursued a B.S. degree. These women were following in the footsteps of Brown and Summers, undertaking the degree course of study, without receiving a formal degree. Nevertheless, these women were the first acknowledged in the college annual.

1909 Quips and Cranks Yearbook

 

The presence of these early "unofficial (women) students" at Davidson led to some discussion about the possibility of formally opening the college to women in the 1887 and 1888 editions of the Davidson Monthly. For example, in the February 1887 Davidson Monthly,  the question of "Shall Women Go to College?" was debated by student authors. An excerpt of that debate is embedded below.

 

Then in April 1888, the more direct question of co-education was discussed in the pamphlet. As the article shows, the conclusion was that female and male student bodies should not be mixed as it would unhealthy do so.

Co-Education

 

Following these arguments, the more direct question of coeducation was discussed in the April 1888 edition of the publication. As the article shows in the excerpt above, the conclusion was that female and male student bodies should not be mixed as it would be "unhealthy" to do so.

 

Similarly, the 1916 Quips and Cranks offered a student's response to coeducation. The essay bluntly states the college seems to be a coeducational institution, but that "there is only one degree that is conferred in this department and that is the degree of Mrs." This essay can be read in the scan below.

 

The 1916 Quips and Cranks offered a student response to co-education. The essay notes that the college is now a coeducational institution but that "there is only one degree that is conferred in this department and that is the degree of Mrs."

Co-Ed Department Essay

 

Women continued taking classes at Davidson College during the first half of the twentieth century. In 1922, three Davidson "co-eds" are listed in the College Catalog. During the 1930s and 1940s, it was not unusual for several women to be taking classes at a given time, as evidenced by such listings in the College Catalogs. This continued presence indicates not all students, faculty, or staff thought having "co-eds" around campus was an inherently bad thing.

 

This trend of a few women taking classes continued at Davidson for much of the first half of the twentieth century. In 1922, Davidson three co-eds are listed in the college catalog. During the 1930s and 1940s, there were usually 3-6 women taking classes.

Women students listed in the 1922 college catalog.

 

Some of the male students attending the college alongside these women had a complex perception of coeducation. One student, Albert Simpson (Davidson College Class of 1925), compiled illustrations of women in his personal scrapbook, adding satirical titles related to women. The titles read:

 

 

Portions of this scrapbook are pictured below. Additional materials can be accessed by appointment in the manuscript collection, DC0331s: Albert Franklin Simpson Scrapbook. 

 

Popular Davidson coed preparing to attend the weekly dance in Shearer Hall. [a playful reference to Shearer Biblical Hall]
Co-education illustration from 1925 student scrapbook
Co-education illustration from 1925 student scrapbook
Co-education illustration from 1925 student scrapbook

 

Women continued to take classes at the college in the mid-20th century. Nancy Copeland remembers taking classes during the World War II years: "there were seven of us in a student body of 175." Copeland went on to work for the College Union between 1956 and 1957 according to the Archives' staff database.

 

After World War II, more women arrived on campus as wives of students returning home from war. The college provided housing for families, and an organization know as the G.I. Wives Club was formed as a social outlet for these women. While not here as students in most cases, the consistent presence of these women on campus helped pave the path toward full coeducation.

 

Bibliography:

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