By Nicole Farley, History Senior
Mary Ellen Keil was a Bowling Green native, born in 1915, with strong roots to her home town. After attending elementary and high school in Bowling Green, she continued her higher education in the then “Bowling Green State Normal College.” By the time of her graduation as a Bachelor of Arts, the normal college became a university. Mary Ellen attended Ohio State University for her master’s degree. She then taught high school in Powell, Ohio and elementary school in Massachusetts. In 1943, Mary Ellen joined the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots. After the disbanding in 1944, she and a few others bought an airfield in Michigan to sell airplanes and teach flying until 1950. She eventually went back to teaching until her retirement in 1976 and was active in the Women’s Movement during this time as well. She passed away in 2002 and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Bowling Green.
Photo of Mary Ellen Keil in the International Women’s Air & Space Museum
We are fortunate to grant every year two Mary Ellen Keil Scholarships for Ohio-native female students who are majoring in history. All incoming history majors meeting the criteria are referred to the History Department automatically. Keil scholars typically receive the scholarship in the first year and keep it for two years.
You can check the departmental scholarships on our website.