Women Making a Difference has been created in partnership with the Women's Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County


©2006 The History Center in Tompkins County

Emma Galvin, originally from Richmond, Virginia, received her B.A. from Shaw University in 1929, and her M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1931. A high school teacher, Galvin taught in schools in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. She came to Ithaca and resumed her graduate work at Cornell University, where she was awarded her Ph.D. in 1943. Later a professor at Ithaca College, Galvin was a member of the National Committee of the American Association of University Women, as well as a member of the board of trustees for Ithaca’s Southside Community Center.