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1960-1969: Carol Maddex and Female Lecturers at the Polytechnic

This month is something of a group focus, on some of our female staff, as well as a former student of engineering.

In 1963 the Borough Polytechnic (now LSBU) hired their first woman lecturer in Engineering, to start teaching from January 1964. Carol Maddex was also a prize winning former student of the Polytechnic, having started studying there for her ONC in Mechanical Engineering in 1958-59 as a part-time day student. She was clearly an excellent student, the exam registers show that she was averaging 96% in Applied Mechanics and Applied Heat – the top marks in the class. After her ONC she went on to study for the HNC in Mechanical Engineering, winning a prize from the Institution of Mechanical Engineering for her studies in 1962 as well as the class prize from the Polytechnic. When she applied for the lectureship in Mechanical Engineering, she had just completed the Endorsement for the HNC, studying Mechanics of Fluids and Industrial Administration.

Although Carol was the first woman to teach Engineering, she wasn’t the first lecturer in STEM at the Borough Polytechnic. The first STEM lecturer was Eileen Bullerwell, who lectured in Maths from 1948, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in Statistics in 1965. Eileen was born Eileen Field in 1922 and had a degree in Maths and Physics from Kings College, Newcastle and a little more information can be found about her in this obituary for her husband. A year after she was appointed, the Borough Polytechnic hired their second woman STEM lecturer – this time in Chemistry. Elizabeth Lee taught at the Polytechnic from 1949-1953, when she moved to the Wirral.

Within 5 years of Carol Maddex’s appointment there were two other women lecturing in Mechanical Engineering – Patricia Ashcroft and H Williams. The complete staff for Mechanical Engineering totalled 30 people, not including visiting lecturers, so they were still only 10% of the staff. Other STEM departments were also low in women, although in 1967 the Maths Department had the first female Head of Department (not including the Women’s Department which had closed in 1950) – Dr Mary Nutkins.

We don’t know what happened to Carol Maddex after she left the Polytechnic – the minutes that tell us who we hired don’t tell us where departing staff were going. We know that Carol was married, although she studied and taught under her own surname rather than her husband’s. Information on many of our former staff is limited, so if you know anything about them and can supply more details then please do get in touch! We’d be delighted to know more about them and their experiences.

1960-1969: Carol Maddex and Female Lecturers at the Polytechnic

This month is something of a group focus, on some of our female staff, as well as a former student of engineering.

In 1963 the Borough Polytechnic (now LSBU) hired their first woman lecturer in Engineering, to start teaching from January 1964. Carol Maddex was also a prize winning former student of the Polytechnic, having started studying there for her ONC in Mechanical Engineering in 1958-59 as a part-time day student. She was clearly an excellent student, the exam registers show that she was averaging 96% in Applied Mechanics and Applied Heat – the top marks in the class. After her ONC she went on to study for the HNC in Mechanical Engineering, winning a prize from the Institution of Mechanical Engineering for her studies in 1962 as well as the class prize from the Polytechnic. When she applied for the lectureship in Mechanical Engineering, she had just completed the Endorsement for the HNC, studying Mechanics of Fluids and Industrial Administration.

Although Carol was the first woman to teach Engineering, she wasn’t the first lecturer in STEM at the Borough Polytechnic. The first STEM lecturer was Eileen Bullerwell, who lectured in Maths from 1948, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in Statistics in 1965. Eileen was born Eileen Field in 1922 and had a degree in Maths and Physics from Kings College, Newcastle and a little more information can be found about her in this obituary for her husband. A year after she was appointed, the Borough Polytechnic hired their second woman STEM lecturer – this time in Chemistry. Elizabeth Lee taught at the Polytechnic from 1949-1953, when she moved to the Wirral.

Within 5 years of Carol Maddex’s appointment there were two other women lecturing in Mechanical Engineering – Patricia Ashcroft and H Williams. The complete staff for Mechanical Engineering totalled 30 people, not including visiting lecturers, so they were still only 10% of the staff. Other STEM departments were also low in women, although in 1967 the Maths Department had the first female Head of Department (not including the Women’s Department which had closed in 1950) – Dr Mary Nutkins.

We don’t know what happened to Carol Maddex after she left the Polytechnic – the minutes that tell us who we hired don’t tell us where departing staff were going. We know that Carol was married, although she studied and taught under her own surname rather than her husband’s. Information on many of our former staff is limited, so if you know anything about them and can supply more details then please do get in touch! We’d be delighted to know more about them and their experiences.