Mrs. Virginia Hislop celebrated receiving a master’s degree in education from Stanford University—83 years after leaving the campus just short of earning the degree. Virginia Hislop has dedicated her entire life to expanding access to education. Now, at the age of 105, she has finally completed her academic journey.
Completing the Degree After 83 Years
On Sunday, Mrs. Hislop celebrated receiving her master’s degree in education from Stanford University—83 years after leaving the campus just short of earning the degree. Her son-in-law contacted the university and learned that her final thesis, the last requirement she had not fulfilled, was no longer necessary.
Recognition for a Lifetime of Work
“I’ve been doing this work for years and it’s nice to be recognized with this degree,” Mrs. Hislop told Stanford University for a story about her nearly lifelong journey to a stage on campus, where a diploma in a Cardinal-red cover was placed in her hand.
The Impact of World War II
In 1941, just before the United States entered World War II and with her fiancé about to be called to serve, Hislop decided to forgo her thesis. Despite this, her time at Stanford University , which began in 1936, was productive. She earned an undergraduate degree in education and moved directly into postgraduate studies.
Shifting Aspirations
Hislop had aspirations of attending law school, but her father refused to pay for it, so she chose the shorter path to a teaching career. Having completed the coursework for a master’s degree, she only needed to submit her final thesis. However, instead of finishing it, she left town for a honeymoon in Oklahoma near her husband’s Army post at Fort Sill.
Sacrifices for Marriage and Family
“Not my idea of a place for a honeymoon,” she said, “but I had no choice in the matter.” At the time, sacrificing her career for marriage and a future family was viewed as a contribution to the war effort and a sacrifice for America.
Post-War Life and Continued Commitment
Hislop, who grew up in Los Angeles, moved to Yakima, Washington, after the war, where her husband George joined the family ranching business. They raised two children, allowing Hislop to focus on a passion ignited during her days in Palo Alto: education.
Contributions to Education
“I didn’t return to teaching, but I feel I put my teaching certificate to good use serving on committees and boards and trying to improve the educational opportunities every chance I got,” she told the Yakima Herald-Republic in 2018.
Advocacy for Curriculum Changes
She opposed middle school curricula that mandated home economics but not advanced English for her daughter. To address this, she ran for and won a seat on the Yakima School District Board of Directors, as reported by the publication.
Campaigns for Community Colleges
Hislop also successfully campaigned for the creation of independent community college districts in Washington state, at a time when Yakima’s two-year college was still part of the K-12 district. She was eventually recruited to raise funds for what would become Heritage University, a women-founded, women-led institution located about 20 miles south of Yakima.
Fundraising and Scholarships
She initiated the school’s annual Bounty of the Valley Scholarship Dinner, which by 2018 had raised nearly $6 million to support students attending the institution. Hislop is listed by the school as a board member emerita.
Honors and Scholarships
At Pacific Northwest University, a medical and health sciences school in Yakima, a scholarship named the Virginia Hislop Emergency Fund honors her contributions. Her dedication to broadening access to education may have been inspired by an aunt who was the principal of a public school in West Los Angeles’ Sawtelle Japantown neighborhood during Hislop’s childhood in L.A.
Early Influences
Sawtelle, initially established as a housing and care facility for disabled Civil War veterans, eventually developed into a community largely populated by Japanese Americans and Latinos. “Aunt Nora would tell us about some of the Hispanic students in her school and how they were doing and the difference that education made for them,” she said. “It seemed to me that without an education, your future was limited and with an education it was unlimited.”
Presenting the Master’s Diploma- Stanford University
On Sunday, Daniel Schwartz, dean of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, presented Hislop with her master’s diploma, smiling broadly as he described her as “a fierce advocate for equity and the opportunity to learn.”
Celebration with Family
Virginia “Ginger” Hislop, 105, recently walked the stage at Stanford University to receive her master’s degree in education for the coursework she completed in 1941. A smiling Hislop rose to an ovation on June 16 as she received her degree and master’s hood at the university’s Graduate School of Education diploma ceremony while her family, including her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, cheered her on.
Dean’s Tribute
Dean Schwartz described Hislop as “a fierce advocate for equity and the opportunity to learn.” He said the centenarian graduate, who lives in Yakima, Washington, “led a life of tremendous educational accomplishment.” Hislop said of the long wait between leaving campus and grasping her degree: “My goodness. I’ve waited a long time for this,” according to Stanford.
Educational Roots and Inspiration
Hislop, a native of Palo Alto, California, earned her bachelor’s degree in education in 1940 from Stanford’s then-School of Education with the plan of earning a master’s degree so she could begin teaching, the release stated. She was inspired to pursue an education career by her grandmother, who was a pre-Civil War educator in Kansas, and her aunt, who served as principal of a West Los Angeles school.
Marriage and Sacrifice
However, her boyfriend at the time, George Hislop, was called to serve in World War II, so the two got married and Virginia Hislop left Stanford University after completing her coursework but before handing in her thesis, according to the university.
Lifelong Commitment to Education
“I thought it was one of the things I could pick up along the way if I needed it and I always enjoyed studying, so that wasn’t really a great concern to me, and getting married was,” she said in an interview with Stanford.
Continued Educational Contributions
Her decision to put obtaining her master’s degree on hold did not pause her commitment to education. Hislop has served on the Yakima School Board of Directors, is a founding board of directors member of Yakima Community College, and served for 20 years on the board of Heritage University in Toppenish, Washington.
