Mary Yarbrough Papers Acquired

The Special Collections Research Center recently acquired the papers of Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough (1904-1984), one of the first women awarded a degree by  NC State University. The collection contains 24.5 linear feet of correspondence, photographs, publications, music books, newsclippings, photocopies, and artifacts. Most of these materials document Yarbrough's life and career, as well as her family, the Ellis and Yarbrough families of Raleigh. Items in the collection date from approximately 1850 until 2005.

Not only was Mary Yarbrough one of the first women to receive a degree from NC State, she was also one of the first women to receive a graduate degree when, in 1927, she earned an M.S. in chemistry from the university. In 1941 she received her Ph.D. from Duke University. She was a well-known instructor at Meredith College in Raleigh, serving on the faculty from 1929 until 1972, heading the chemistry and physics department, and finally becoming the assistant director of the cooperative education program.

The Yarbrough family had an important relationship with NC State during its earliest years.  Mary's father, Louis, was a member of the Class of 1893, which was the first graduating class of the college.  His family lived in a house on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, and some of the first students who came to the new college in 1889 stayed and ate there.

More information about the Mary Yarbrough Papers can be found in the online collection guide . The collection is open for research in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library on the NC State campus.  Access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Persons interested in looking at the collection should contact Special Collections .