Mary Hinkson ’46, MS’47 was born to dance, but as a black woman at the UW, she found Madison far from welcoming. Rather than give up, she became one of the nation’s leading performers.
Alumni
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Physicist Fatima Ebrahimi PhD’03 believes that if efforts to control nuclear fusion pay off, it will provide unlimited energy that will change the world.
The activist has long been on the front lines of women’s and peace movements.
The new event featured 1,848 minutes of pure fun, spirit, and generosity.
As a nationally renowned sex reassignment surgeon, Marci Bowers ’80 — a transgender woman herself — is helping her patients find joy and belonging.
Florence Bascom shows off a tool of her trade: a Brunton compass. During her work with the U.S. Geological Survey, she placed benchmarks like the one pictured below, which denoted a site’s exact elevation. Florence Bascom Papers, Smith College
There’s an apocryphal story about what set…
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Cynthia Fisher Swanson ’87 of Denver has published her second book, The Glass Forest. The literary suspense novel takes place in the 1960s, when 21-year-old Angie Glass is living a picturesque life in her Wisconsin hometown with her husband,…
An adventurous summer road trip turned the UW’s first female engineering grad, Emily Hahn ’26, into one of America’s most storied travel writers.
In the spirit of the Summer 2019 special women’s issue, we’re profiling a few of the many Badger alumnae — past and present — whose accomplishments deserve wider recognition.…
Hamilton Pier became the first woman in the country to be granted a judicial appointment. Courtesy of Fond Du Lac County Historical Society
Kate Hamilton Pier LLB1887 was a successful real estate saleswoman in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, when she decided to get a law degree.…
Hamerstrom, one of the UW’s pioneering ecologists, exhibits the tail feathers of a broad-winged hawk in Plainfield, Wisconsin, in 1965. UW Archives Neg. 18146
Frances (Fran — pronounced “Fron”) Hamerstrom MS’40 was a pioneering wildlife ecologist. She and her husband, Frederick, came to the UW to study…
Larzette Hale-Wilson, pictured with accountant Milton Wilson, became the first African American woman in the country to earn a PhD in accounting. Courtesy of Theresa A. Hammond
Larzette Hale-Wilson MPh’43, PhD’55 was the first female African American CPA to earn a PhD in accounting. Orphaned…
A champion of Title IX, Saunders-Nordeen became the UW’s first women’s athletic director in 1974. UW Archives dn05052510
As the first UW women’s athletic director (1974 to 1990), Kit Saunders-Nordeen MS’66, PhD’77 helped open the door for women to participate in intercollegiate athletics.
She began her…
Following a stint as a veterinarian, Larsen found her true passion: drug development for animals. Courtesy of UW School of Pharmacy
First a doctor to animals, Diane Larsen ’80, DVM’90, PhD’99 now develops medicines for them. She heads drug development for the animal division of the global…
Estrin introduced computing technology to medical research, leading the way to today’s health-care systems. Wikimedia Commons
Thelma Estrin ’48, MS’49, PhD’52 blazed a trail in the field of medical informatics (the practice of applying computers to medical research and treatment). Although she always had an aptitude…
Dickie, pictured in 1974, played a leading role in treating tuberculosis throughout Wisconsin. Submitted photo
When Helen Dickie ’35, MD’37 joined the UW medical school faculty in 1943, tuberculosis was still a threat. Dickie worked tirelessly to detect and treat the disease until…
Disch has long been an advocate for improving health care in the U.S. “I want to blow up our system,” she said in 2007. Submitted photo
Joanne Disch ’68, a former professor of nursing at the University of Minnesota, is known for improving patient safety and…
As a nun, Keller defied traditional expectations in becoming the first woman to earn a PhD in computer science. Courtesy of Clarke University
In 1965, Sister Mary Kenneth Keller PhD’65 became the nation’s first woman to earn a PhD in computer science. She came close…
After her husband died in 1966, Manchester became a leader in the meat distribution industry, earning several career honors. Submitted photo
When Jean Manchester ’48’s husband died suddenly in 1966 and left her with four children, she took over the management of the family business, Neesvig’s…
As a pharmaceutical leader with many roles, Saleki-Gerhardt encourages other women to “stretch themselves” and get outside their comfort zones. Courtesy of UW School of Pharmacy
Azita Saleki-Gerhardt ’88, MS’91, PhD’93 has gone from working in the lab to the C-suite at one of the world’s 10…
McCoy, pictured in her bacteriology lab in 1953, became one of the first women in science to earn a full professorship at the UW. UW Archives S08175
Bacteriologist Elizabeth McCoy ’25, PhD’29 joined the UW faculty in 1930, and in 1943, she became the second woman at the…
When popular graduate student Jenny Morrill MA1905 left campus for the summer, librarians found evidence of “a most awful crime” that she blamed on her morphine addiction.
In 2009, copilot Jeff Skiles ’84 played a key role in the “Miracle on the Hudson” emergency plane landing.
Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay ’92 makes no apologies for being a rabid Badger fan — even in a newsroom populated with Michigan alumni.
Allee Willis ’69 is more than just the composer of the hit songs such as “September” and the Friends theme: she also collects kitsch, throws legendary parties, and supports her hometown of Detroit.
Nancy Baym ’86 studies the close connection between musicians and audiences.
Bryce Richter
After 70 secretive years, a gargoyle has been reunited with its twin. One of the sandstone statues, which sat atop the old Law School, was thought to have been destroyed during the building’s 1963 demolition. But the children of Paul Been ’49 LLB’53 grew…
UW Archives 2018s00431
In 2017, the Badgers lost just one football game. In 1968, they couldn’t win one.
It’s almost impossible to believe in these days of annual bowl game appearances, but the UW once suffered through 23 straight winless games — 22 losses and…
Mike Leckrone is as synonymous with the Badger spirit as Bucky. This year he’s saying his good-byes after 50 years with the UW Marching Band.