Celebrating Women's History Month
By April Miller, UO Alumni Association assistant director of marketing and communications
This March, we are recognizing the mighty women of Oregon who came before us and are making history today. In this month's feature, read stories about several of these amazing UO women and the new trails many are blazing for future Ducks.
March is Women’s History Month, a time to commemorate the vital role women play in American history and in society today. Since the late 1800s, women have been pivotal in the University of Oregon’s success—as faculty members, university administrators, students, and alumnae. They’ve charted new paths in every field and discipline—the sciences, the arts, business, education, health care, public policy, and more. They’ve created change in the face of adversity and discrimination, advocating for all women to choose their own path in life.
This month, we honor all alumnae living and deceased who have made their mark on the UO and their communities. We reflect on our past and the early groundbreakers who came before us; honor the women of Oregon who are making history today; and look to the future of current students blazing new trails for the Ducks of tomorrow.
Reflecting on our past
From the nearly 100-year Women’s Suffrage Movement of the 19th and 20th centuries; to advocacy for inclusion in collegiate athletics and the passing of Title IX in 1972; and the fight for reproductive rights and equal pay of the 1960s and 1970s that continues today, the UO has seen every wave of feminism.
Life for women at the university looks very different today than it did a century ago—or even just 50 years ago. It’s only been five decades since women were first able to qualify for credit cards or finance a home in their own name, regardless of marital status. And it’s been only three decades since federal protections were enacted to protect a women’s job if she chooses to have a child.
The University of Oregon has been home to incredible changemakers who have fought for the more equitable experience women have today. While there’s still work to be done as it pertains to women’s rights, we wouldn’t be where we are today without the alumnae, women faculty members, and other female Ducks who have paved the way. The timeline below, along with the featured list of early groundbreakers, captures a small portion of women’s history at the UO. There are countless other Ducks not represented who have made an incredible mark on our university community and world. We thank and honor all women who have stepped into male-dominated spaces, challenged and changed systems of power, and broken through the glass ceiling—granting future generations of women more opportunities than were originally available to them.
Made with Visme Infographic Maker
Honoring the UO's early groundbreakers
Several of the alumnae you see highlighted here were submitted by fellow Ducks through OregonNews Mighty Women of Mighty Oregon issue. Readers answered the call to spotlight outstanding teachers, mentors, and icons.
Golda Wickham, BS '31 (education)
"As dean of women, Golda looked very stern and severe, but there was a warm and caring woman underneath. She took time to listen to students who approached, and when trouble was apparent, Dean Wickham had a special fund to help—new books, recommending who to see, an appropriate suit for an interview, a dressy gown for something important. She made a difference."
Submitted by Eleanor Marie Saunders Mueller, BA ’64 (Clark Honors College, history), MA ’65 (interdisciplinary studies)
Maurine Neuberger, BA '29 (education)
"Only woman from Oregon elected to the US Senate. Feminist, consumer advocate, great human being. She advocated for consumer and health issues and sponsored one of the first bills requiring warning labels on cigarettes."
Submitted by Kate Marquez
Joan Acker, PHD '67 (sociology)
"I took a couple classes with Joan; she was an excellent teacher, her feminist classes were challenging, fun, original. I was in my thirties, and she took a particular interest in this “old” student and my life experiences. A true inspiration and a wonderful colleague to the other sociology faculty, who all admired her."
Submitted by Katherine Black, BS ’83 (sociology)
Estella Ford Warner, UO Medical School graduate
Estella Ford Warner was one of two women who graduated from the UO Medical School in 1918. As a physician, she became a leader in public medicine who set up health care programs domestically and abroad. In 1932, she was appointed to the United States Public Health Service by President Herbert Hoover. She directed health programs in the US, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Dr. Warner was named Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, making significant impacts on global standards for pediatric and maternal care.
Michi Yasui Ando, BA '42 (English)
Denied permission to attend her graduation ceremony due to World War II internment of Japanese Americans, Michi Yasui Ando waited 44 years to attend her commencement IN 1986. The night of graduation in 1942, she fled Eugene by bus—the only way to avoid incarceration in an internment camp. The second-generation American from Hood River relocated to Denver. There she earned a master of education, became an elementary school teacher, married, and raised six children.
Jean Babcock Stoess, BA '61 (business administration)
"For many women in the 1950s and 1960s, facing the obstacles of financing a higher education with no family support would have been too much. But Jean Babcock Stoess did. She went on to be a writer, author, editor, publicist, elected public official, board member, election monitor, mother, and grandmother. Jean’s husband of more than 60 years, Al, and one of their children, Caryn, described how. 'She was an achiever,' Caryn said. 'Focused, service-oriented, and a proud feminist. She spent a lot of time proving to men she was their equal.'”
Submitted by AnneMarie Knepper-Sjoblom, BA ’05 (news editorial)
Making history today
Today, UO alumnae are leaders in every field. They’re business executives, scientists, artists, educators, policy makers, health care providers, attorneys, and more. They’re conducting groundbreaking research, starting innovative companies, mentoring and raising younger generations, and offering their valuable insights to make the world a better place.
While women have more options and opportunities in their lives and careers today, there is still work to be done to create a more equitable future, especially for women of color, those identifying as LGBTQ+, and women with disabilities. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 74.6 million women in the civilian labor force—almost 47% of the US workforce. And yet, women still earn an average of 82% of what men earn, according to a Pew Research Center analysis released last year. This wage gap is even wider for women of color, and particularly Black, Latina, and Native women. According to the US Government Accountability Office, Black women earn about 63 cents for every dollar a White man earns, and Latina women 58 cents.
In the face of these challenges, women continue to flock to the UO for higher education, launch successful careers in a variety of fields, and serve as changemakers for future generations—just as the UO’s early groundbreakers did before them. Of the UO’s 117,549 living alumnae, just six are spotlighted below, but we honor all UO women for their countless contributions to our community. The alumnae you see highlighted here were submitted by fellow Ducks through Oregon Quarterly’s Mighty Women of Mighty Oregon issue. Readers answered the call to spotlight outstanding teachers, mentors, and icons.
117,549
living UO alumnae
13,316
current women students
55.87%
percentage of UO student body identifying as women
Charity Woodrum, BS '18 (physics)
"I met Charity as an undergrad who had just returned from a NASA internship, and I was going to write about her experience. She was the first in her family to graduate high school. She’s also overcome unimaginable adversity—losing her son and husband in a terrible tragedy at the coast. She went on to grad school and recently landed a dream job with NASA working on the Webb Space Telescope. It would take 1,000 words to tell her inspiring story."
Submitted by Jim Murez
Denyse McGriff, MS '78 (political science), MUP '79 (urban and regional planning)
"Denyse has been a community activist for most of her life and career. Involvement in the community is important to her and she has worked tirelessly to enable a variety of voices to be heard. In 2019, Denyse was elected to the Oregon City Commission, the first person of color to serve in the city’s history. In August 2022, she was elected the first Black mayor of Oregon City to serve out an unexpired term & reelected to a 4-year term in November 2022. Denyse is currently one of three African American mayors—and the only African American mayor who is female—in the state of Oregon."
Submitted by Julie Rawls
Simone Anter, BA '14 (anthropology)
"As a Hanford program director and staff attorney at Columbia Riverkeeper, Simone Anter lends invaluable legal support to Columbia Riverkeeper’s Clean Water Act enforcement actions and campaigns. She leads our work with Yakama Nation to support increased public engagement in Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup. She also engages community members that care deeply about fighting climate change to support a just transition and avoid disproportionately burdening Indigenous people and Tribal Nations with the costs of renewable energy."
Submitted by Liz Terhaar, BA ’07 (Spanish, magazine)
Carol Scherer, BS '75 (general science)
"Carol was a pioneer in US Air Force military aviation. At the UO she was an active member of the WebFoot Sport Parachutists. A true pioneer, she was selected to be one of the first women to train to become a pilot in the USAF. The test program for pilots began with ten women on August 26, 1976, in San Antonio, Texas. They joined 39 male colleagues for the 48-week training course. Those 10 women are honored with their uniforms on display in the USAF museum in Dayton, Ohio. Carol went on to fly for the USAF for 12 Years and then to fly for American Airlines. There was a great deal of pressure on these first 10 women aviation candidates to succeed and Carol did just that."
Submitted by Mike Stewart, BEd ’76 (elementary education), MEd ’78 (curriculum and instruction)
Kirsten Agard, BS '08 (psychology, business administration)
"She is a first-generation college graduate who went to U of O for her undergrad with a baby in tow in 2008. During COVID-19 she adopted her sister’s three boys and led her mortgage team at work through a very difficult time. She has reenrolled at the U of O for her executive MBA and is still killing it. She is the chair of the Beaverton Downtown Association and on the board of Adelante Mujeres. She recently created a new LGBTQIA2+ event called Beyond Labels in Beaverton to celebrate and increase visibility to the community. She is always pushing to be better, supporting others, and is an inspiration."
Submitted by Monica Irvin, BS ’07 (business administration)
Melynda Retallack, BArch '96 (architecture)
"Melynda earned a bachelor of architecture with a minor in environmental studies at the University of Oregon and then moved to San Francisco to develop affordable housing and complete school renovations around the Bay Area. Mel is a principal and owner at Ink:built Architecture, a women-owned architecture and development company. She views each project as an opportunity to demonstrate how buildings can have a restorative effect on our environment and even start to alleviate issues of affordability and equity in housing. She is a licensed architect in Oregon and Washington and a LEED AP BD&C with over 25 years of experience in architecture and real estate development."
Submitted by Anna McCormack, class of 1991
Nayantara Arora, class of 2024 (Clark Honors College, neuroscience)
University of Oregon senior Nayantara Arora is the first Duck since 2007—and the first UO woman ever—to win the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the oldest international fellowship awards in the world. The scholarship will fund Arora’s study at the University of Oxford, where she will pursue two master’s degrees, one in modeling for global health and another in international health and tropical medicine. She envisions a future for herself where she improves the health of whole communities and even a nation. She said she’d love to one day be the US Surgeon General. As a first-generation Indian American fluent in four languages, Arora recognizes the value of interdisciplinarity to solving major world problems and achieving success.
Megan Henry, class of 2025 (architecture)
"Megan Henry is a dedicated third-year architecture student. She wants to design low-income housing for communities in the Willamette Valley. She has started a study group that meets weekly to help other architecture students with required classes. When not in class, she likes to attend football and women’s basketball games, visit her family, and build Lego. Megan is an inspiration because of how she is committed to helping others and making sure her peers are successful."
Submitted by Sarah Henry
Ashley Schroeder, class of 2025 (psychology)
"Ashley Schroeder is currently a University of Oregon senior who has participated every year on the beach volleyball team. She has played in every game since her freshman year. She has a positive attitude and has been an inspiration to all of the younger women on the team. She has been a trailblazer, standing up for equitable conditions and always participating with a good attitude."
Submitted by Lucy George and Julie Bayer
Ivy Fofie
Communication and media studies PhD candidate Ivy Fofie relocated to Eugene from Ghana, where she has already established herself as a journalist and public relations professional. It has long been her dream to become a researcher in the field of feminist media studies—and that’s exactly what she is doing at the UO. Her research focuses on the unrecognized contributions women have made to media—something she experienced firsthand working in several newsrooms prior to starting her PhD. In the future, Fofie plans to publish a book on the political economy of women’s media and to bring attention to women’s roles in media throughout the Global South
Abby Lewis, class of 2024 (Clark Honors College, cinema studies, mathematics)
Abby Lewis is the author of The Forest of Numbers, a children’s book that introduces math concepts to young readers. The mathematics and cinema studies double major decided to write the book after struggling with mathematical proofs in her Fundamentals of Abstract Algebra class. Proofs are a concept taught in middle school and then glossed over until college, so Lewis’s hope was to make math more accessible and less overwhelming for kids. She has another children’s book coming out this spring called Moose and the Math Fairy.
Azusena Rosales Suares, BS '23 (Clark Honors College, mathematics, Spanish)
Growing up in Salem, Azusena Rosales Suares attended bilingual schools and didn’t speak much English in her classes until sixth grade. Making the switch to English-only courses proved to be a challenge, but while she struggled initially in other subjects, Suares exceled in math, which continued to be her specialty at the UO. This strength, along with her second major in Spanish, led her to a new academic passion: linguistics. For her Clark Honors College thesis, Suares conducted original research on bilingual street signs, working with Devin Grammon, an assistant professor of Spanish sociolinguistics. Suares interviewed community members, seeking to understand what the Spanish-speaking community is looking for in downtown signage and how that signage can be more inclusive.