Whitney’s connection to the University ran deep. She was born in a small white house next to Mirror Lake. Old Whitney Hall, named after her father, became the first major campus building in 1881. Hired by UConn in 1900, she worked solo in a cramped two-room library, its 8,000 books illuminated only by kerosene lamps. By the time she retired, the library was electrified and its collection had quadrupled in size. These improvements reflected what Whitney saw firsthand: UConn’s rise from country farmstead to premier state university.

For her 100th birthday, UConn President Homer D. Babbidge presented her with a plaque (above) and a cake with 100 candles. She even received birthday greetings from President Lyndon B. Johnson and Connecticut Gov. John Dempsey.