Celebrating Women's History Month

Elmira, NY (03/19/2021) — For Women's History Month, the Elmira College Office of Alumni Relations has teamed up with the EC Archives to highlight some of the remarkable women of Elmira College. Throughout the month, Alumni Relations will share posts on their Facebook page featuring stories and photos of the truly remarkable women who once graced the halls of EC. From the first graduating class to those making strides in once male-dominated fields, EC has a plethora of successful alumnae.

Three of the women included in the features are:

Lena Gilbert Ford: Alumna from the Classes of 1887 and 1892. Ford wrote one of Elmira College's classic songs, "Keep the Home Fires Burning," during World War I. The popularity of the song swept across the globe during the war. Ford was also a writer and editor for a women's column that appeared in several newspapers around the world. During the war, she carried messages to soldiers in hospitals, organized concerts for their entertainment, and cared for fallen soldiers in her home - which became the house in which every wounded soldier wanted to convalesce.

Pauline Elizabeth Burrows Hurst: A member of the Class of 1931, Hurst was the first African American to graduate from Elmira College. She was a very talented pianist, violinist, and singer, who was asked to perform at the White House, along with the Ithaca College Choir. Pauline's daughter, Jill Hurst-Wahl, followed in her mother's footsteps and graduated from Elmira College in 1979.

Wilhelmina "Billie" Cole Holladay: Alumna from the Class of 1944 who also received an honorary doctorate from EC in 1989. Holladay founded the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), the first and only museum solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. According to the Museum, "Holladay opened her residence to the public for tours, traveled extensively to garner support for her idea, raised more than $20 million from public and private sources, purchased and renovated a historic building to house the collection and donated her personal collection and library to the museum. On April 7, 1987, Barbara Bush, wife of the then-Vice President, cut the ribbon to open the museum in a 1907 Renaissance revival landmark building located two blocks from the White House. NMWA's collection has grown to include more than 5,500 works by approximately 1,000 artists, such as Louise Bourgeois, Mary Cassatt, Judy Chicago, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Faith Ringgold and Élizabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun. Special exhibitions have included premier solo showings of work by Camille Claudel (19th-century French), Remedios Varo (20th-century Mexican), Lavinia Fontana (16th-century Italian) and Carrie Mae Weems (contemporary American)." Holladay had a lifelong passion for art and bringing to light the amazing work of women everywhere. She passed away on March 6, 2021, at the age of 98.

Be sure to visit the EC Alumni Relations Facebook page for the full list of posts.

Media Attachments