Mills, Martha Dicks Stevens, 1875-1918
Person
Dates
- Existence: July 29, 1875 - April 20, 1918
Biographical Information
Martha Dicks Stevens, the first woman to earn an engineering degree from Purdue University, was born on July 29, 1875, in Salem, Ohio to Sarah Dicks Stevens and Moses Cobb Stevens, Professor of Mathematics at Purdue University from 1883-1902. Stevens graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 in Mathematics and Biology, a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree in 1897, and a Master of Science degree in 1898, then took non-degree study in French and Industrial Arts until 1902. While a student, Stevens was also President of the Purdue Photographic Club, Vice President of Philalethan Literary Society and YWCA, and Alumni Editor for the Purdue Exponent. After graduation, Stevens spent a year as a Presbyterian Missionary in Flag Pond, Tennessee, then taught college mathematics before retiring to care for her aging parents. Stevens married attorney John Bibb Mills on June 27, 1907, and they had four children. Martha Dicks Stevens Mills died April 20, 1918, in Baltimore, Maryland.