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Mildred Leigh was hired in 1930 as director of Hamilton Hall (a women’s dorm) and as an instructor in institutional management.  In 1940, she became director of the Student Union, where she helped plan the kitchen and dining service facilities. The Student Union building was so well planned that it was easily maintained, altered and enlarged.  It remains the center of campus to this day.  She had the personality and administrative ability to work directly with students and faculty.  Leigh Lounge in the Student Union was named in her honor in 1990.  Because she appreciated fine music, she volunteered as the first business manager of the Bozeman Symphony Society after her retirement.  Leigh received an honorary doctorate from Montana State University in 1977 and the university's Blue and Gold Award. In 2014 one alumnus, Barnard Myers, said that he “credits Mildred Leigh, then staff director of Hamilton Hall, the women’s freshman dormitory and the only dormitory on campus, with keeping him in school when she gave him a job as a house boy.” 1

Mildred Leigh is remembered for her planning and perseverance. She could often be found fixing the upholstery in the lounge of the SUB with her own needle and thread.

  1. Billings Gazette, May 26, 2014, At 103, Billings man is oldest living grad of Montana State. Accessed on July 30, 2018 at https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/at-billings-man-is-oldest-living-grad-of-montana-state/article_7e36e943-a803-55b5-990a-7696a1bca606.html

Mildred Leigh