Pam Massey

Mary Rippon (1850-1935) was born in Lisbon, Illinois. After completing high school, Rippon unsuccessfully sought higher education, which was unavailable to women during this time in the United States. Instead she spent five years studying in Germany, France, and Switzerland. Upon returning to America, Rippon began her career teaching high school in Detroit. After the continual persuasion of Dr. Joseph A. Sewall, Rippon’s former high school chemistry teacher in Illinois and the first president of the University of Colorado, Rippon joined the two-member faculty of the University of Colorado. She was the first female to teach men in a university classroom, in 1878.

Rippon’s career at the University of Colorado began with teaching French and German, some mathematics and English grammar. In 1881 Rippon was promoted to become a professor of German and French. That same year Rippon was also named the head of the Germanic Languages and Literature department, a position she would hold for the rest of her career at CU. Rippon also took on the role of Dean of Women, although it was unofficial until 1901.

Rippon’s involvement with the University of Colorado was far beyond that of just the classroom. She donated money for projects, planted trees and bushes around CU’s first building, Old Main, and raised funds for the University’s library. Rippon also launched the first theater productions at CU. With her collections of photos and pictures of Europe, Rippon became a popular speaker, using lantern slides. In this way, she was able to combine her avid interest of photography with teaching.

Rippon also contributed to Boulder’s growth and development outside of teaching. She raised funds for Boulder’s public library, founded the Boulder Fortnightly Club (Boulder’s oldest literary club), and helped establish the Women’s League (later to be called the YWCA). Rippon was involved with the entire community.

Even in Rippon’s personal life, her career took precedence. In 1888, Rippon secretly married William Housel in St. Louis. The secrecy of this marriage exemplifies the problem of women in professional life, when only single women were allowed to work. From this marriage, was born their daughter Miriam Housel in 1888 (see Separate Lives: the story of Mary Rippon by Sylvia Pettern).

In 1909, Rippon retired from her 57-year career to live the rest of her life in Boulder until she died at 85 in September of 1935. In Rippon’s career spent at the University of Colorado she had seen the student population go from 15 to more than 3000. One year after her death, on alumni day, a memorial outdoor theater between the wings of the Hellems Building was dedicated to Rippon.