Julia Flisch

Julia Flisch (31 January 1861 – 17 March 1941) was a writer, educator, and advocate for women's rights to education and independence from Georgia (U.S. state). Flisch was known for her call to "Give the girls a chance!" in her fight for equity in education access.

Early life and education

Julia Flisch photo from the Julia A. Flisch papers, Ina Dillard Russell Library, Georgia College, Milledgeville, Georgia. Julia Flisch was born in Augusta, Georgia. Flisch grew up in Athens, Georgia, where her father ran a candy shop near the University of Georgia campus. Flisch yearned to attend the university after graduating from the Lucy Cobb Institute, but she was denied entrance in 1869 because she was a woman.

The Lucy Cobb Institute was the first school to offer Flisch a path in life unique to women during her lifetime, and she returned often after graduating with honors in 1877.

Teaching career When ground broke on Georgia Normal and Industrial College in Milledgeville, the first public college for women in the state of Georgia, Flisch gave a speech about women's capabilities and eagerness to learn and work. She was the only woman to participate in the dedication ceremony. Edward J. Cashin's book A History of Augusta College proclaims, "Her students were convinced that she had two brains: The story was handed from one class to the next as solemn fact and added a new dimension to the wonder which surrounded her."

Writing career In addition to Flisch's nonfiction writing and newspaper articles, she wrote fiction. In 1886, she published her first novel, Ashes of Hope, about young girls seeking independence. Her second novel, published in 1925, Old Hurricane, received good reviews.

Honors The University of Georgia gave Julia Flisch an honorary master's degree in 1889, 20 years after she was not admitted, making her the first woman to receive this honor from the university. When Flisch died in 1941, she was acclaimed as having done "more than any other person to advance the cause of women’s education in the state of Georgia." In 1994, Flisch was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement.