This collection contains oral history interviews and transcripts with some of the first degree-seeking women to attend Davidson College. Students in Dr. Rose Stremlau's Fall 2020 upper-level history course conducted interviews as part of a grant from the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) titled "Before #MeToo: How Women Historically Navigated Higher Education at the ACS Schools."
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Davidson College was technically an all-male institution. However, some women did attend classes at Davidson, many of whom were faculty daughters or young women from the Town of Davidson. At this time, Davidson did not issue degrees to women, so many women began their college careers at Davidson and transferred to local women's institutions, including Salem College and Queens University (then Queens College).
In 1968, Davidson began taking the idea of coeducation more seriously, when President Samuel Spencer Jr. ‘40 appointed a special advisory committee to study the issue. The following winter, the faculty voted to participate in a college exchange program with Hollins, Mary Baldwin, Randolph-Macon, Sweet Briar, Agnes Scott, Winthrop, and others. In 1972, Davidson became officially coeducational and women were admitted as full degree-seeking candidates. Vicki Switzer ‘74 was the first woman to enroll and Marianna “Missy” Boaz Woodward ‘73 was the first woman ever accepted by Davidson as a full candidate for graduation.
Marianna “Missy” Boaz Woodward ‘73
Listed below are select digital and digitized resources related to women and coeducation at Davidson.
Co-eds pictured in November 23, 1939 issue of The Davidsonian (pg. 3) [pdf]
Archival materials are the institutional records of Davidson College from its establishment in 1837 to the present day. Included within the collections are president's office records, academic department files, and student organization records. Listed below is a selection of relevant collections related to the history of coeducation. Collections are organized by record group, along with a brief description of the collection's contents, and are hyperlinked to the collection's digital finding aid.
Davidsoniana Files, or "D-Files," primarily contain secondary source information and are housed in Archives and Special Collections. This includes newspaper articles, scanned memos, brochures and pamphlets, memorial speeches, and booklets.
A selection of D-Files related to coeducation include:
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Mailing Address: Davidson College - E.H. Little Library, 209 Ridge Road, Box 5000, Davidson, NC 28035