To commemorate Women’s History Month, The University of Alabama is proud to honor female trailblazers who have made a lasting contribution to the University, state, nation and beyond. Throughout March, we encourage you to learn more about each woman as we celebrate these champions of the Capstone.
In 1893, Anna Adams and Bessie Parker enrolled for the fall semester as UA’s first female students. Adams’ and Parker’s enrollments were due in large part to the successful lobbying of the UA board of trustees by Julia S. Tutwiler, then president of the Livingston Normal College for Girls.
Maude McLure Kelly became a stenographer in her father’s law office and began to study law after the family moved to Birmingham. Her score on the entrance exam to UA’s School of Law allowed her to enter as a senior in 1907. She graduated with highest honors a year later and, after a change in the Code of Alabama, became the first woman to practice law in the state.
Libby Anderson Cater Halaby was elected SGA vice president in 1945, but upon the resignation of the president, became UA’s first female SGA president. Throughout her career, she has opened doors for women in America. Halaby served as special assistant to former first lady Claudia Johnson, assistant to the president of the National Endowment for the Arts and assistant executive director for President Jimmy Carter’s Commission on Women. The Anderson Society was created in Halaby’s honor in 1974. The organization is the most exclusive honor society on campus, recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions to the Capstone.
Lynn Yeldell was the first woman to be elected SGA president in 1989. A graduate of the Culverhouse College of Business, Yeldell founded L Style G Style, a media company with the mission of telling stories of the LGBT community to break down barriers, open hearts and change attitudes.
In 2014, Karen Phifer Brooks was the first woman to serve as president pro tempore of UA’s Board of Trustees. As a presiding officer of the board, Brooks led the board of trustees in their mission to ensure the effective leadership, management and control of the institutions of the UA System.
Autherine Lucy Foster was the first African American student to attend UA. On Feb. 3, 1956, Lucy attended her first class as a graduate student in library science, becoming the first African American ever admitted to any white public school or university in Alabama. The University named an endowed fellowship in her honor in 1992, and in 2010, dedicated the Autherine Lucy Clock Tower to honor her as one of three individuals who pioneered desegregation at UA. In 2017, Foster was honored with the Autherine Lucy Foster marker, located in front of Graves Hall. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters from the Capstone.
Janet Gurwitch co-founded Gurwitch Products in 1995 and launched the Laura Mercier Cosmetics line in 1996. She began her career at Foley’s department store in Houston, Texas, finishing as senior vice president of merchandising before moving to Neiman Marcus as executive vice president. She received a bachelor’s degree in fashion retailing UA and currently is a partner at Castanea Partners, a Boston-based equity firm, where she serves on the board of Drybar and First Aid Beauty.
Marillyn Hewson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in economics from the University. In 2018, Chief Executive magazine named Hewson CEO of the Year. In 2016 and 2017, Fortune magazine named her third on their Most Powerful Women list. Hewson is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation, where she has worked for more than 35 years. She also serves on the board of directors of DowDuPont, and she is a member of the executive committee of the Aerospace Industries Association.