Alice Robinson Boise Wood (May 15, 1846 – March 28, 1919) was a classicist and poet, and the first woman both to attend classes at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and to matriculate and graduate from the
Old University of Chicago
The Old University of Chicago was the legal name given in 1890 to the University of Chicago's first incorporation.
The school, founded in 1856 by Baptist church leaders, was originally called the "University of Chicago" (or, interchangeably, "Ch ...
.
Early life
Alice Robinson Boise Wood was born in
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, Rhode Island, to
James Robinson Boise, a professor of
Classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
, and Sarah Goodyear Boise, on May 15, 1846.
University studies
Alice Robinson Boise Wood became the first woman to attend the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
when she joined several Classics classes, including her
father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
's Greek recitations, in September 1866, although she was not allowed to matriculate;
the first woman to matriculate as a Michigan student was
Madelon Stockwell in 1870. In 1867 she joined the
Old University of Chicago
The Old University of Chicago was the legal name given in 1890 to the University of Chicago's first incorporation.
The school, founded in 1856 by Baptist church leaders, was originally called the "University of Chicago" (or, interchangeably, "Ch ...
, where she was allowed to attend classes and in 1872 became the first woman to graduate from the university with a B.A.; she earned her M.A. from the same university in 1875.
Boise Wood was one of only eight women inaugural members of the
American Philological Association
The Society for Classical Studies (SCS), formerly known as the American Philological Association (APA) is a non-profit North American scholarly organization devoted to all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization founded in 1869. It is the preemine ...
when it was founded in 1869. Her pioneering status in women's university education led to her being described as 'The Entering Wedge for Women'.
Career
After graduating, Boise Wood worked as a teaching assistant in Classics at the Old University of Chicago, as well as assisting her father with publications including an edition of
Xenophon
Xenophon of Athens (; grc, wikt:Ξενοφῶν, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Anci ...
's ''
Anabasis
Anabasis (from Greek ''ana'' = "upward", ''bainein'' = "to step or march") is an expedition from a coastline into the interior of a country. Anabase and Anabasis may also refer to:
History
* ''Anabasis Alexandri'' (''Anabasis of Alexander''), a ...
''.
From 1877 to 1884 she taught Greek, French, and German at the
Wayland Academy in
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, along Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. The population was 16,708 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city primarily located in Dodge County. It is the principal city ...
, of which her husband Nathan Eusebius Wood (1849-1937; the couple married in 1873) was Principal.
Boise Wood was also a poet and hymn-writer, publishing in periodicals such as ''
St. Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...
''.
She died in
Arlington, Massachusetts on March 28, 1919.
External links
An accountwritten by Alice Robinson Boise Wood of her studies at Michigan and Chicago
Hymnsby Alice Robinson Boise Wood
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Alice Robinson Boise
University of Michigan alumni
Old University of Chicago
Classics educators
American women educators
1846 births
1919 deaths
Women classical scholars
American classical scholars
American women poets
19th-century scholars
20th-century scholars
19th-century American educators
20th-century American educators
20th-century American women