Ida Helen Ogilvie

Ida Helen Ogilvie (/ˈaɪdə ˈhɛlən oʊˈgɪlvi/) (February 12, 1874 – October 13, 1963) was a United States educator and notable early twentieth century woman geologist.

Early life and education Ida Helen Ogilvie was born in New York City to Clinton Ogilvie and Helen ( Slade) Ogilvie, who were both artists. Her first language was French, then English. She was raised in a wealthy family with roots tracing back to the Mayflower, and was well travelled, attending schools in Europe before studying at The Brearley School. she earned a Ph.D. in 1903 at Columbia University, where her advisor was the petrologist James Furman Kemp.

Professional career and scholarship Upon earning her Ph.D. Ogilvie was hired by Barnard College, where she served as lecturer or instructor until she was made assistant professor in 1912, associate professor in 1916, and full professor in 1938. Following in the footsteps of Florence Bascom, who founded the Geology program at Bryn Mawr, Ogilvie's hiring at Barnard began one of the few geology programs at elite women's colleges, as did Elizabeth F. Fisher at Wellesley College and Mignon Talbot at Mount Holyoke College.

Ogilvie's dissertation was the geologic mapping of the Paradox Lake Quadrangle in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Ogilvie published papers on both on glacial and bedrock geology topics. Her interest in teaching at the graduate level at Columbia University, and keeping an affiliation with that department apparently encouraged her focus on the glacial topics–without a glacial specialist at that time the Columbia faculty was happy to have her teach the graduate glacial Geology course.

Beginning in 1917 Ogilvie became involved in the Women's Land Army, a civilian effort to encourage women's participation in farming during World War I's wartime shortage in male labor on the home front. Ogilvie was initially brought into the project by Delia West Marble, a member of the Garden Club of America, beginning their lifetime working and romantic partnership^. Marble later would later become the curator of the Barnard Geology collection, and would be remembered as a formidable presence in the department. the New York Academy of Sciences, and member of several other scientific societies.

Personal life

In 1930, Ogilvie purchased The Hermitage, located in Linlithgo, a hamlet in Livingston, New York. During World War II, she was involved with the Woman's Land Army of America to work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military. In this capacity, she transformed the farm at the Hermitage into a productive dairy farm, stocking it with Jersey cattle from Airlie Farm in Westchester, her partner Delia West Marble's farm. Along with her architect, Harold R. Sleeper, she finished the house in 1939 by adding "a wing and lifted the roof, adding another story and a half and a portico - a covered porch supported by columns".

Ogilvie died at The Hermitage on October 13, 1963.

Publications Ogilvie, I. H. (1902). Glacial Phenomena in the Adirondacks and Champlain Valley. The Journal of Geology, 10(4), 397–412. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30055554 Ogilvie, I. H. (1904). The Effect of Superglacial Débris on the Advance and Retreat of Some Canadian Glaciers. The Journal of Geology, 12(8), 722–743. Ogilvie, I. H. (1904). Geological Notes on the Vicinity of Banff, Alberta. The Journal of Geology, 12(5), 408–414. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30062518 Ogilvie, I. Helen. (1905). Geology of the Paradox Lake quadrangle, New York ... [Albany: New York state education department]. Ogilvie, I. H. (1906). A Contribution to the Geology of Southern Maine. Ogilvie, I. H. (1908). Some Igneous Rocks from the Ortiz Mountains, New Mexico. The Journal of Geology, 16(3), 230–238. Ogilvie, I. H. (1945). Florence Bascom 1862-1945. Science, 102(2648), 320–321.

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