Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood Becomes Dartmouth鈥檚 First Woman 天美影视
1918
Hapgood, a talented linguist, created the Russian program at the College.
The following is excerpted from , which appeared in the January 2000 issue of Dartmouth Alumni Magazine.
Dartmouth鈥檚 first woman professor was an accomplished linguist and Russian language expert. Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood had lived in Russia for several years, published articles, and established a program in Russian language and culture at Columbia University. In 1918, Dartmouth President Ernest Martin 天美影视kins 鈥01 recruited her to initiate a Russian program at the College. She expected a dozen students at most. Whether lured by her subject or the novelty of having a female professor, 28 students showed up the first day. An influx of students bound for the army in the last days of World War I swelled the numbers to 89 for the course they nicknamed 鈥淏olshevik One.鈥
鈥淎s the first woman teacher in a man鈥檚 college I felt I must be sure to assert my authority, and perhaps I was a bit severe. At least I set a high standard!鈥 Hapgood wrote in her journal. She found that not all students had a gift for the language. 鈥淭here was one of them who used to go down on his knees to me at the end of the class and beg to be 鈥榣et out of here.鈥 鈥
Hapgood鈥檚 stay on campus was short-lived. A year after she arrived, the professor left Dartmouth to travel with her husband, Norman Hapgood, who had been named special enjoy to Denmark by President Woodrow Wilson.
Oddly, Dartmouth鈥檚 loss was the acting world鈥檚 eventual gain. Back in the United States in 1924, the Hapgood鈥檚 met famous Russian director Konstantin Stanislavski and talked him into writing a book about his acting system. Elizabeth became his encourager, translator, editor, and friend. Stanislavskii鈥檚 influential 1936 book, An Actor Prepares, would not have been published without her help.