By MAKAYLA JOHNSON ’26
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 24 Apr 2026
Anyone who hangs around Houghton University (HU) long enough will eventually hear the name Frieda Gillette.
Her name–for a few more weeks–marks our campus’s largest women’s dorm. Some may recognize it from the quasi-thrift closet housed inside, also bearing her name. Others may have come across the book she co-authored, And You Shall Remember… A Pictorial History of Houghton College, a record of the institution’s past.
But how many students could actually share details about Gillette’s life?
A look into her archived materials–found in the basement of the Willard J. Houghton Library–allows for a deeper insight into the woman with the iconic name. It might be expected that these boxes would hold a few books about God and/or history, perhaps a log of old classes she taught and the kind of memorabilia associated with academic life.
Instead, they hold passports spanning across her lifetime, travel itineraries for Taiwan, Japan, England, Italy, and beyond, as well as postcards from her days abroad. Additionally, there are degrees from several institutions: an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester (a mere 20 years after they began admitting women, might I add), a master’s degree from Cornell University, and an Honorary doctorate offered to her in 1976 from HU, after she taught History for several years. Her Bible was included in the mix, sporting annotations similar to those found in a modern-day college student’s Bible, and it was fitted with several bookmarks and random note cards.
Rather than the story of an average twentieth-century woman in a small town, the collection reveals an academic, world-traveling, God-fearing woman. As an unmarried woman, her ability to navigate through a world just beginning to open its doors to women is inspiring.
There were two particularly compelling or humorous stories found within these boxes.
First, in one of her statements, she explains her original intent to study Math as her undergraduate degree. After taking her first course, she quickly realized that she disliked it and began to study History under Lawrence B. Packard at the University of Rochester. In an interview with a student, she was noted to say “[she] found it was a field in which [she] was very much at home.” Gillette’s life became fully shaped by her love of history. She leaned into it, traveling and teaching. While it may have been possible for her to achieve this through studying math, it seems far less likely.
Second, the boxes hold a narrative written by Lorraine G. Mulligan, in which she explains her trip to the then-retired Gillette’s house to ask her questions about HU history for a project. She remarks how, after talking for “two hours,” she “didn’t want to leave.” She wanted to hear more about Gillette. And so, she stayed. While the entire interview is an enjoyable read, the quote that has particularly stuck comes after Mulligan recalls being dropped off at her dorm by Gillette. She says, “I watched her drive away. I walked inside with the six apples she’d given me, “because college students just don’t seem to get enough fruit.” How very true, indeed.
At this point, I’m sure you’re all dying to find out more about the woman who understood our lack of fresh produce and saw the world. Lucky for you, Dr. Jesse Sharpe and Makayla Johnson ‘26 will be presenting on Gillette’s life on Wednesday, April 29, from 4-5 p.m. in Library 140. There will be a short presentation, time for questions and display cases with her artifacts out for those interested. Come celebrate Frieda Gillette’s life with us! ★
