Woman Receives Recognition for Emma Willard Monument 71 Years Later

TROY, NY (05/22/2012)(readMedia)-- Women the world over are familiar with this all-too-common scenario. Marion Guild is no exception. In 1941 a young Marion Guild worked to design a marble monument that pays tribute to girls' education pioneer Emma Hart Willard. Displayed prominently at the head of Main Street in Middlebury, VT, the monument was a part of the town's 150-year anniversary celebration. For the past 71 years, her male supervisor was credited with the design of her monument.

Tonight, the selectboard of Middlebury will set the record straight when it passes a resolution officially recognizing the now 94-year-old Guild as the rightful designer of the monument.

Trudy Hanmer, associate head emerita at Emma Willard School, now located in Troy, NY, says

"Marion Guild is just one of a long line of women whose accomplishments have been overshadowed by male colleagues. Making sure that women's intelligence was not overshadowed by their male counterparts was the primary reason Emma Hart Willard founded her school."

Hanmer is currently writing a comprehensive history of this storied Emma Willard School, and the release of Wrought With Steadfast Will: A History of Emma Willard School will coincide with the festivities leading up to Emma Willard School's bicentennial celebration in 2014.

About Emma Willard School

As the oldest private girls' school in the country, Emma Willard School has been empowering girls since 1814. Pioneering educator Emma Hart Willard envisioned a world where girls had the same opportunities as boys and where girls could receive unparalleled educational leadership. Emma will celebrate its Bicentennial in 2014.