This spring marks the 120th anniversary of the graduation of Martha Dicks Stevens — Purdue's first female engineer, and a civil engineer, at that.

Graduating in 1897, Stevens was the definition of a trailblazer — and she continues to serve as an inspiration for faculty, students, staff and alumnae.

"It’s just so hard to imagine what it must have been like for her," says Lyles School of Civil Engineering senior Keelee Roggenbuck. "I think it took such amazing passion for civil engineering to fight against what was
expected then and pursue what she loved. This is a person who got her engineering degree before women even had the right to vote in America."

In fact, Stevens graduated more than 20 years before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920 - which came two years after her death in 1918. Other significant moments in United States history that Stevens' civil engineering degree predated include the creation of the automobile, the Wright brothers' first powered flight and the first Major League Baseball World Series.

Dulcy Abraham, Purdue professor of civil engineering, says Stevens clearly was an incredibly brave and motivated person to do something so unheard of for that time.

"To come into a field like civil engineering, with no role models before her, I think took a tremendous amount of courage," Abraham says. "I think it speaks a great deal to her character and her determination — and I'm sure she received encouragement from her family."

Specifically, Abraham says, Martha likely received encouragement from her father — Moses Cobb Stevens — who became a professor of higher mathematics at Purdue in 1893 and later served as head of the department.

Stevens' interests and pursuits at Purdue were not limited to engineering. In addition to her being a part of Purdue Civil Engineering's 10th graduating class, she earned a bachelor's degree in 1894 and a master's degree in 1898. She also served as president of the Purdue Photographic Club and as vice president of the University’s Philalethean Literary Society.

Martha would later go on to marry John Bibb Mills, an attorney from Maryland. She and John had four children and lived the rest of their days together in their Baltimore home.

Purdue Civil Engineering alumna Sara Hoffman (BSCE '11) says she has tremendous admiration for Martha and hopes many more young women follow in her footsteps.

"Even now, the engineering field is still mostly populated by men, but more women are showing interest in the STEM fields," Hoffman says. "Obviously, we’ve come a long way, but I think we’d all like to see more
women pursue an engineering career. Not only are there many opportunities for professional civil engineers, but companies are always looking to hire graduates who have different perspectives and backgrounds."