Twins Anna and Stella White were the first women to earn Bachelor of Science degrees at WVU. Science degrees were especially attractive to women, who often had less secondary-level Latin and Greek languages needed for B.A.s--than their male peers. B.S. students took French or German. The White family moved to Morgantown from Ohio in 1886 They came, as did others, to give children access to higher education. In the 1890's all 6 White siblings (4 sons and the twins) attended WVU.
'According to our records, Margaret Buchanan (1906) attended the preparatory school of West Virginia University, attended the university 1902-1906, and received an A.B. from West Virginia in 1906. She taught Mathematics and Greek from 1907 (or 1908?) until 1912 in the preparatory school and University. She was an instructor at West Virginia 1915-1918, and returned after obtaining her Ph.D. in 1922 from Bryn Mawr College, to West Virginia as assistant professor 1922-1925 and associate professor 1925-1929. She resigned to marry H. O. Cole on 1929/02/14. She returned to the university, presumably as Margaret Buchanan Cole, as an instructor 1938-1941, assistant professor 1941-1952, and associate professor 1952-1955. She retired in 1955 and died on 1959/09/10. We understand she was also, in 1939, the first woman president of the university's alumni association.'
