The Forgotten 14

At 9:20 one morning in January 1967 I arrived in Professor Robin Robinson's office to register for my first classes at Suddenly aware that this might be a historic moment, I asked him, "Am I the first? " "Minako Henderson came in 20 minutes ago," he replied. "You arc the: second woman ever to register as an undergraduate at the College."

There were 14 of us—all wives of graduate students— who registered for class that year. At a meeting of the Tuck-Thayer Wives Club the previous November, several of us who had interrupted college careers to marry Dartmouth men had asked. Dean of Students Thaddeus Seymour whether we could take courses for credit. At the time, Dartmouth would allow us to only audit classes.

At the next meeting of the club. Dean Seymour surprised us with an announcement: "We are going to let you girls register for classes." We wouldn't be allowed to graduate, but we would receive official transcripts. He also remarked casually, "We are not going to tell the Board of Trustees."

Professor Siinpson in geography and the intermediate German instructor had no objections. However, when I asked Herr Scott if I could take his course in Schiller, he didn't even smile'. "I'll have to think about that," he said. "There are certain jokes I make while conducting my classes that I might not be able to use in front of a lady. Come back tomorrow, and I will give you my answer." I giggled nervously, thinking he was kidding. Then I realized the: man was serious. But the next day, he did say yes.

I studied fulltime that winter, took a break when my son was born in May, then returned fulltime for a second year until June 1968, when my then-husband, Charles Billings, received his master's in chemistry and we left the area.

Why have the histories forgotten the 14 of us? Maybe Dean Seymour really never did tell the Trustees.

-was a special student in 1967and 1968. She is a writer and organ builder in Andover, Mass.

Eleanor BillingsRichardson