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Grace Fenton is one of nearly 13,000 alumni of the College of Engineering. But she stands alone as a pioneer. In 1938, Grace became the first woman to earn a degree in engineering from the University of Idaho. She grew up near Horseshoe Bend without electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. At age 14, Grace lit out to Boise to attend high school. She worked for room and board as a nanny, housekeeper, librarian, and eventually as a draftsman for the University's Forestry Department. The drafting took. Grace redefined her opportunities and changed her major from mathematics to engineering. The move was controversial enough to warrant a feature in the Argonaut titled, "Woman Student Deserts Kitchen to Build Bridges." Grace's story later made the New York Times. Before the ink had dried on her civil engineering degree, Fenton went to work for the Idaho State Highways Department. She served with the Army Corps of Engineers through World War II, and in 1950, was cited by the Grant County Journal as "the only lady engineer" employed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. In her lifetime, civil engineer Grace Fenton helped plan and build many structures, but it is the wall she helped tear down that will be her lasting legacy. Today, Grace's great-grandniece, Kristin McGee, is engineering her own future at the University of Idaho as she works toward a degree in architecture and interior design. The College of Engineering is celebrating its centennial in 2007, and is proud to recognize Grace Fenton and her significant contributions to 100 years of engineering at the University of Idaho. |