Year of the Woman Banners Greet Students on Hello Walk

Over the past year, Utah State University has celebrated the Year of the Woman, honoring significant voting rights dates of 1870, 1920, and 1965 as well as showcasing historical and contemporary women of USU on websites, stories and events. August 26, 2020 is the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, recognizing women’s right to vote, and it is also the first day of the pre-semester Connections program for new students. 

Titled, “A Lasting Legacy,” a series of banners hanging from lampposts along the north sidewalk of the Quad, the Hello Walk, depict notable women and events through USU’s history, beginning with Vendla Berntson, the first student to enroll in 1890. Many of these women have been featured in stories over the past year.

• Vendla Berntson, First Student, 1890
• Sarah Walker Eddy, Speaker at Dedication and First History Faculty member, 1892
• Mignon Barker Richmond, First African American to Graduate in Utah, 1921
• May Swenson, America’s Poet, 1934
• Dr. Larzette Hale, First Black Female CPA, 1971
• Dr. Mary Cleave, NASA Astronaut, 1975
• 1978 Volleyball Team, First National Championship
• Michelle Henrie, First Female Student Body President, 1986
• Dr. Noelle Cockett, President of USU

Mignon Barker Richmond is also featured in banners gracing downtown Logan that celebrate the Voting Rights Anniversaries, organized by the Cache Celebration of Suffrage. 

The banners cover several decades in USU’s 130 year history and begin and end with a picture of the institution’s first female president, Dr. Noelle Cockett. This banner poses a question to viewers: “What Will Your Legacy Be?” The rights and opportunities that women enjoy today are the legacy of the early suffragists and feminists. USU recognizes those who have come before and those who will lead in the future.