When Lelia Thompson Flagg, a 1960 graduate in civil engineering, arrived at Missouri S&T for the first time, there were no dorms for her to stay in. Instead, she stayed with a Black family south of campus while earning her degree.
Flagg was the first Black woman to graduate from Missouri S&T and was one of only 11 women during her freshman year in 1956. She excelled at math in high school and was encouraged by her teachers to study engineering.
After graduation, Flagg headed to California to work at the Bureau of Sanitary Engineering. Later, she returned to S&T and became assistant director of admissions until 1998.
Share This Story
Spark a Memory?
Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).
Erin Hayden and Matthew Garger
Although Erin Hayden and Matthew Garger were both students at S&T for an overlapping year, they didn’t meet until the…
Supporting female faculty at S&T
When she established the Woman of the Year award at Missouri S&T, Cindy Tang, a 1985 economics graduate, wanted to…
Jack Ridley: a humanist among engineers
Jack Ridley, who won many teaching awards during his career, describes the circumstances he faced as a new...
‘Mr. Miner’
The name “Mr. Miner” may sound like someone related to mascot Joe Miner, and in Jerry Bayless’s case it may…
Movie magic
The technology used to create Davy Jones from “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and characters from other films…
Pitching in a World Series
The only Miner to ever pitch in a World Series game, Marvin H. “Baby Face” Breuer pitched for the New…