About: Mary Creegan Roark

Mary Creegan Roark (September 1, 1861 – February 1, 1922) was the first female President and second ever President of Eastern Kentucky State Normal School, later becoming Eastern Kentucky University, from April 1909 until March 1910. Roark held this position following the death of her husband, Ruric Nevel Roark, in 1909. Roark led the university at a time when women did not have the right to vote in state or federal elections. Roark was involved in the Suffrage Movement for Equal Rights and was elected Secretary of the Kentucky Equal Rights Association in 1898. Her stances included better teacher training and salaries, she also helped gain the right to vote in school elections. Roark died in Baltimore, Maryland on February 1, 1922 and is buried in Richmond, Kentucky at the Richmond Cemeter