University of Arizona Honors One of Its Earliest Faculty Members

The University of Arizona’s department of gender and women’s studies sponsors the Women’s Plaza of Honor that honors the contributions women have made to the state and the university.

The latest honoree at the plaza is Mary “Mamie” Bernard Aguirre, a native of St. Louis who came to Tucson in 1876 and was named principal of all all-girls public school.

In 1895 Aguirre joined the faculty at the University of Arizona where she taught Spanish language and English history. She died in 1906 from injuries suffered in a train accident.