Endurance was her middle name

Eva Hirdler Greene earned a general science degree – because the faculty refused to award her a mining engineering degree.
Eva Hirdler Greene earned a general science degree – because the faculty refused to award her a mining engineering degree.

The first woman to earn a degree from S&T, Eva Endurance Hirdler Greene, class of 1911, received the general science degree – even though she had completed the coursework to be a mining engineer. Her peers recognized her accomplishment, granting her status as a Knight of St. Patrick, but the faculty refused. She went on to a distinguished career in mining reconnaissance and oil production before shifting her focus to industrial management. In 1972, the faculty voted to grant her the mining degree she so richly deserved. Her endurance paid off.

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).

Contributing to a Nobel Prize

Contributing to a Nobel Prize

Dr. Clyde Cowan, ChemE’40, was posthumously recognized for his part in research that earned the 1995 Nobel Prize in physics….

One active alumnus

One active alumnus

James E. “Jim” Bertelsmeyer, a 1966 chemical engineering graduate and the retired founder, chair and chief executive officer of Heritage…

Remmers series: the talk of the town

Remmers series: the talk of the town

A professor once called Walter Remmers, MetE’23, MS MetE’24, “the laziest man in school.” And Remmers owned up to it….

Pam (Thebeau) and Dennis Leitterman

Pam (Thebeau) and Dennis Leitterman

Although both Pam (Thebeau) and Dennis Leitterman started as freshmen in fall 1971, they didn’t meet until August 1975. “I…

George Mueller: ensuring the ‘moonshot’

George Mueller: ensuring the ‘moonshot’

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,” President John F. Kennedy said…

Matthew Harris and Grace Lupo

Matthew Harris and Grace Lupo

During a biostatistics lab in the fall of 2017, Matthew Harris saw Grace Lupo sitting by herself and invited her…