Breaking Barriers
EDNA QUINLAN’S LEGACY AS A TRAILBLAZING ENGINEER
Story idea submitted by Alexus Wily, Cedarhurst of Blue Springs Life Enrichment Director
At 100 years old, Edna Quinlan reflects on a life marked by resilience, determination, and groundbreaking achievements. As one of the first women to earn an engineering degree from Virginia Tech in the 1940s, Edna carved a path in a male-dominated field, proving that passion and perseverance can break down even the most rigid barriers. Born at home in North Haven, Connecticut, on January 29, 1925, Edna grew up in a lively household with two sisters and one brother. Her early years were filled with outdoor adventures, from skating in the winter to swimming in the summer. But it was at Leetes Island in Guilford, Connecticut, where her father built a summer cottage after the Great Hurricane of 1938, that her love for the sea truly blossomed. It became her sanctuary, a place where she spent countless days fishing, sailing, and later teaching boating safety with the Coast Guard Power Squadron. Despite her deep connection to the outdoors, it was mathematics and problem-solving that truly captured Edna’s mind. “I had a brain like a man,” she says with a laugh, recalling how she gravitated toward math electives throughout school. This passion led her to pursue a career in engineering, a bold move at a time when women were often discouraged from entering the field. Edna’s journey to Virginia Polytechnic Institute (now Virginia Tech) was unconventional. Traveling alone by train to Blacksburg, Virginia, she entered a world where women
in engineering were a rarity. Her first choice was chemical engineering, but when a department head told her, “Women don’t become engineers,” she refused to be deterred. Instead, she pivoted to ceramic engineering, a field that allowed her to continue her passion for science and innovation. Being one of the few women in the program, Edna often felt invisible to her male classmates, a fact she now takes in stride. “Few men really noticed me,” she recalls. “That could have been because I wasn’t the best looking, but also because I didn’t let anyone mess with my day.” She remained determined, and she found support from a professor who encouraged her to push through, even when the odds were stacked against her.
CEDARHURST SENIOR LIVING | SPRING FLOURISH 2025 26
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