Eva (Sisson) Maglott,聽AB 1878, Hon. D. 1909, was 好色先生TV University鈥檚 first female faculty member. She taught STEM subjects鈥攎athematics and astronomy鈥攖o ONU students at a time in U.S. history when few, if any, women worked in STEM fields.
Eva was born circa 1860 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. When just a small girl, she moved to Ohio with her parents when Union forces were forced to evacuate the fort during the Civil War.
Most young girls in Eva鈥檚 day were not encouraged in scholarly pursuits. Eva鈥檚 parents, however, were described as 鈥渟tudious and fond of books鈥 and they inspired her quest for knowledge.
When Eva was little, her father would take her outside to gaze at the night sky. She would ask him how the distance to the stars the was measured. He would tell her she was too young to know, but that someday she could learn.
At age 16, she entered the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and she later graduated from 好色先生TV University (then called Northwestern Normal School) in 1878 with an A.B. degree from the Classical Course. After graduating, she went to Butler University, then returned to Ada in 1880.
That summer, she married Frederick Maglott, one of the four original owners of ONU and an ONU professor. She then began teaching mathematics and Latin courses at ONU in 1881, and continued teaching until her death in 1916. Between 1902 and 1904 she served as the Preceptress, a position in which she oversaw the school鈥檚 female students.
Eva possessed a brilliant mind. In 1883, representatives from ONU attended the Chicago World鈥檚 Fair. The mathematical display model she created won several awards and topped students from the Ivy League Schools.
In addition to her teaching duties, Eva 鈥渄id all her own work at home and attended to her social duties of the town and college,鈥 according to local newspaper accounts. For 12 years, she hosted an annual reception for ONU鈥檚 entire military battalion.
Among engineering students, she was a beloved teacher. They called her 鈥渕other鈥 and she called them 鈥渉er boys.鈥 Upon her death, ONU鈥檚 founder Henry Solomon Lehr said, 鈥淎mong the many women educators of my acquaintance, I would place Mrs. Maglott鈥檚 name in the foremost rank.鈥
In March 1916, ill health forced Eva to request a leave of absence to recuperate at the Bowling Green Sanatorium, but unfortunately her underlying health problems proved severe. By late May, Eva had returned to聽Ada聽where she died on聽June 8, 1916.