In 1969 the College admitted its first female student, Margie Geib Wilkinson. In doing so, St Edmund’s took the progressive step of ‘going mixed’ before any of the all-male Colleges. More impressive, we did so without any of the hysteria that came when many Colleges eventually followed suit.

The year 2019/20 then represents the 50th of golden anniversary of women at St Edmund’s. In the intervening 50 years, women have improved the life and fabric of our College. They have met with astounding academic success, they have become Professors, Senior Tutors, opera singers, lawyers, rocket scientists, doctors, and, since this October, they have also become Heads of House at St Edmund’s College.

Throughout the year, we will be publishing brief portraits of the ‘women of Eddies‘, from all time and all backgrounds. In March we will also be holding our Women’s Dinner, which we hope will be a great success! But first, we are launching the year with an appeal for the College Library, to beef up its selection of works by female authors.

This is an auspicious time for the College, and it continues to evolve rapidly. However, this year is a chance to look back on one of the most progressive and far-reaching changes that the College made, and take stock of all that has been achieved since the summer of ’69.