Networks
Some, but not all, of the women who worked at Yerkes were graduate students. They hailed from women’s colleges such as Smith, Mt. Holyoke, and Vassar, where pioneering women such as Caroline E. Furness and Mary Murray Hopkins taught in small but ambitious departments of astronomy. Women like Furness and Hopkins had themselves spent time at Yerkes, and they used their connections—especially with Director Frost—to place talented students at the Observatory. By mentoring these women as undergraduates and helping them obtain positions at Yerkes, they established powerful networks among the women’s colleges and the observatory, which enabled many women to pursue advanced degrees in astronomy and astrophysics. These networks were an essential conduit for women into these fields, especially for those without familial connections to astronomy or independent wealth.
Yerkes Observatory, Office of the Director Records
Vera Gushee was a student at Smith College. She wanted to pursue an MA at Chicago but, as this letter reveals, she could do so only if she received a scholarship. It was important to her that she be financially self-sufficient because, like the majority of the Yerkes women, she did not come from a wealthy family and had to be able to earn a living.
