Helen C. White

Helen Constance White (November 26, 1896 – June 7, 1967) was an American academic who was a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. White twice served as the English department chair and was the first woman to become a full professor in the university's College of Letters and Science. She was also the first woman elected president of the American Association of University Professors, and a president of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), University of Wisconsin Teachers' Union, and University Club. White wrote six novels and numerous nonfiction books and articles.

White was raised in Boston in a Roman Catholic household, and kept the faith for the rest of her life. She graduated from the Girls' High School and Radcliffe College. After completing her master's degree, she taught at Smith College for two years before moving West to study for her doctorate in Madison. White loved the city and became an assistant professor there upon completing her Ph.D. in 1924 with a dissertation on William Blake. She taught courses including freshman English and metaphysical poetry graduate seminars. White's students included writers such as August Derleth, Herbert Kubly, and Mark Schorer. Graduate students called her "the Purple Goddess" partly due to her predominantly purple wardrobe and exceptional height: she was over six feet tall.

In her 48-year career, White received 23 honorary doctorates, a Laetare Medal, a Siena Medal, an AAUW achievement award, and two Guggenheim Fellowships. She became an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1958 for her scholarship. White was a United States delegate at two UNESCO events and was on the boards of several organizations. Upon her death, the university built Helen C. White Hall in her name. The building houses the university's English department and undergraduate library, which contains 4,000 books from White's collection. Provided by Wikipedia