Mary Fergusson
Molly Fergusson OBE | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mary Fergusson 28 April 1914 |
| Died | 30 November 1997 (aged 83) London |
| Other names | Molly |
| Occupation | Civil engineer |
| Known for | Civil Engineering |
Mary (Molly) Isolen Fergusson
Early life and education
Molly Fergusson was born at Stoke, Devonport the daughter of Mildred Gladys Mercer and John N. Fraser Fergusson and was brought up in York, where her father made radiography equipment.[3] She was head girl at York College, graduated in civil engineering from the University of Edinburgh in 1936, and to complete her training was indentured for two years at Blyth and Blyth of Edinburgh, unpaid for the first year.[2]
Civil engineering work
She remained with the firm and worked on bridges and other infrastructure projects in
Later life
She retired from full-time work in 1978.
Fergusson continued her engineering work as a consultant, using her fees to create and support a fund to help engineering students. She was active as a member of the Women's Engineering Society and other community organisations.[12]
Honours and awards
_Fergusson_plaque,_Sanderson_Building,_Edinburgh_(48783898066).jpg)
She was appointed OBE in the 1979 Birthday Honours.[13]
She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree at Heriot-Watt University in 1985,[14] for her work in encouraging women to take up engineering careers.[1] At a celebration of Fergusson's life, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, Clephane Hume remarked she was "A memorable lady, with a terrific sense of humour".
A portrait of Fergusson was unveiled in June 2015 in the William Arrol building at Heriot-Watt University, where a Hall of residence is named after her.[15]
National Grid named a 510 tonne, 160-metre-long tunnel boring machine "Mary" after Fergusson, in honour of her status as the first female fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. It was used between 2018 and 2019 to bore a tunnel under the River Humber as part of a project to secure 20% of Britain's gas supplies.[16]
In 2019 she was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame.[17]
References
- ^ a b "Mary Fergusson". ICE. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ a b Haines, Catharine M. C., International women in science: a biographical dictionary to 1950, p. 98
- ^ Nina Baker, "Fergusson, Mary Isolen (Molly), in Elizabeth Ewan, Sue Innes, and Sian Reynolds, eds., The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women (University of Edinburgh Press 2007): 117.
- ^ "First woman civil engineer remembered". NCE 22 June 2015. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ "Women's Engineer Achievement". The Woman Engineer. 8: 21. Spring 1957.
- ^ "Mary Isolen Fergusson". wealothianwomensforum.org.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ Nina Baker, "Two Hundred Years of Women Bridge Builders," presentation at the University of Strathclyde (2006)
- ^ "36: Mary (molly) fergusson". Magnificent Women. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Woman Engineer's Achievement". The Woman Engineer. 8 (4): 21. Spring 1957. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ "Mary Fergusson - Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)". www.ice.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015.
- ^ "Second International Conference of Women Engineers Conference Committees". The Woman Engineer. 10 (6): 3. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ "Mary Isolen Fergusson OBE 1914–1997 Pioneering Civil Engineer". Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ "No. 47888". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1979. p. 5.
- ^ "Heriot-Watt University Honorary Graduates" (PDF). Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ "Heriot Watt University: Edinburgh campus map" (PDF). Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ "National Grid's Humber tunnel reaches halfway point". networks.online. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame". engineeringhalloffame.org. 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2022.