Kay, Wilma Jean Eviston
Person
Dates
- Existence: November 12, 1917 - August 29, 2011
Biographical Information
Wilma Jean Eviston was born on a farm in Huntington County, Indiana. She attended Purdue in the 1930s and lived in Duhme Hall at the same time that both Amelia Earhart and Lillian Moller Gilbreth were in residence as counselors and faculty members. Influenced by one of her high school teachers, Wilma Jean chose to major in institution management. Upon graduating in 1939, she was hired by Purdue Memorial Union as the assistant food supervisor. During this time she also met her future husband, a graduate student in civil engineering, and they were married in November 1941. After World War II ended, Wilma Jean and her family moved back to Purdue and eventually built a house on Sugar Hill. After her children were old enough to begin school in 1954, Wilma Jean began working for the Purdue residence halls. She continued managing the residence halls’ dining courts for twenty-six years.