PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS
Noted On Campus In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we pose this question: How many buildings on the Kingston Campus are named for women? Give up? The answer is nine.
Here are the details: Fayerweather Hall, dedicated 1970: Named for Sarah Harris Fayerweather (1812–1878), the first black student admitted to a Connecticut girl’s school and an anti-slavery activist. The mother of six children, Sarah married George Fayerweather, a South County blacksmith for whom Kingston’s historic Fayerweather House is named.
Roosevelt Hall, dedicated in Oct. 1, 1938: Named for former first lady and political activist Eleanor Roosevelt, who attended the dedication and lit a fire in the Great Room fireplace in honor of the occasion. Originally a residence hall, Roosevelt now houses administrative offices.
Gilbreth Hall, dedicated May 26, 1962: Named for Frank B. & Lillian M. Gilbreth, pioneers in industrial engineering, also known for their large family of Cheaper By The Dozen fame. Lillian, by then a widow, attended the dedication of this industrial engineering laboratory and classroom building. The Heidi Kirk Duffy Center for International Engineering Education, dedicated Sept. 28, 2007: Two former fraternity houses on Upper College Road have been renovated and turned into living and learning centers for students enrolled in URI’s prestigious International Engineering Program (IEP). The complex is named for Heidi Kirk Duffy, Hon ’95, a native of Germany and, with her late husband Chester Kirk ’40, Hon. ’81, a longtime supporter of engineering and international education at URI. Hutchinson Hall, dedicated Oct. 18, 1958: Named for Anne Marbury Hutchinson (1591–1643), a religious leader who, after being banished from Massachusetts as a heretic, helped found the Town of Portsmouth, R.I. Merrow Hall, dedicated 1961: Named for Rhode Island State College Botany Department chair and professor Harriet Lathrop Merrow, a Wellesley graduate who was the first women to serve on the Rhode Island State College’s faculty (1894–1919). Peck Hall, dedicated Oct. 18, 1958: Named for Helen E. Peck, who served Rhode Island State College as librarian (1915–1919), professor of English (1915–1941), English Department chair (1932–1938), and dean of women (1926–1941).
White Hall, dedicated Sept. 23, 1977: Named for Louisa White, the founder (1945) and first director of the College of Nursing, this is the only academic building named solely for a woman. With the exception of Gilbreth, Roosevelt, and the Heidi Kirk Duffy Center, all other buildings mentioned here are residence halls.
28 QUAD ANGLES FEBRUARY 2008
Tucker Hall, dedicated 1961: Named for Lucy Comins Tucker, personal secretary to presidents John Washburn (1892-–1902), Kenyon Butterfield (1903–1906), and Howard Edwards (1906–1930; and registrar and admissions officer for presidents Raymond Bressler (1931–1940) and Carl Woodward (1941–1958). She retired on July 1, 1946, after serving Rhode Island State College for almost 50 years.