Lillie Rose Ernst attended Washington University from 1888-1892,
graduating magna cum laude with a Ph.B. (Bachelor of Philosophy). Upon
entering the university, she was one of four women in her class of forty-two,
but by the time of her graduation she was the only female member of her
class. Despite the presence of women students at the university since the
1870’s, coeducation was still a topic of some debate. The student newspaper
mentions a prominent professor at the university who taught Greek, three
terms of which were required for the Bachelor of Arts degree:
It is rumored that Professor Waterhouse does not favor co-education.
This rumor is almost confirmed by a remark made in the classroom to the
effect that he did not like Misses in his recitations. (Student Life, February
1892, p. 95)
After graduation, Ernst was appointed to a teaching position at her
alma mater, Central High School. In 1907, she became principal of Cote
Brillante School and that same year received an honorary master’s degree
from Washington University. Other highlights of her forty-eight year career
in the St. Louis public schools include her appointment to Assistant Superintendent
of Instruction and principalship of Blewett High School, positions which
up to that time had not been held by a woman.
In addition to her career, Ernst was heavily involved with civic
organizations including the Humanity Club, the Wednesday Club, the Urban
League, and the League of Women Voters. She was a mountain climber and
an avid bird-watcher. In 1931 she was named one of the ten outstanding
women in St. Louis by the Women’s Advertising Club (as chosen by representative
men of the community!)
Lillie Rose Ernst was a mentor and supporter of successive generations
of young women. She was a charter member and president (1900-1902)
of the Washington University Alumnae Association which existed until it
combined with the Alumni Association in 1915. The Alumnae Association took
special interest in the female students of the university, offering what
financial support they could to students who might otherwise be forced
to withdraw. In her will, Ernst left a bequest for a Washington University
scholarship to aid needy students in the name of a friend, Lenora B. Halsted.
As a teacher at Central High School, Ernst was mentor for a group
of young women who formed an artistic and literary group which published
a magazine called The Potter’s Wheel from 1904 to 1907. This group, most
of whom were Washington University students, included artists from various
media such as photography, writing, and sculpting. Two of the more well
known members of the group included sculptor Caroline Risque and poet Sara
Teasdale.
Ernst’s career as an educator, her lifetime of community involvement,
and her work with young people garnered enough respect that her eccentricities,
while noted, appear to have been accepted by her fellow St. Louisans. Articles
about Ernst mention her masculine appearance merely as a passing fact,
focusing instead on her accomplishments. In 1944, ten months after her
death, the St. Louis Bird Club (later the first local chapter of
the Audubon Society) published a memorial tribute to Ernst. Luther Ely
Smith wrote:
The St. Louis Bird Club honors an unusual woman who devoted her life
to educational and social problems of her city, encouraged its children
to become better citizens, inspired its citizens to greater work and richer
living.
Sources:
Corbett, Katharine T. In Her Place: A Guide to St. Louis Women’s
History. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society Press, 1999.
Missouri Historical Society Library for obituaries, St. Louis Bird
Club tribute.
Washington University archives for Washington University catalogs,
Student Life from 1888-1892.
