Dorothy Allison (Carlin) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 25, 1898. She graduated from the city’s School of Industrial Arts and applied to the University of Pennsylvania’s school of engineering. However, her family said she was denied admission because she was a woman and so she set her sights on a school where she could study engineering.
She was the seventh woman admitted to Cornell University’s engineering school. At Cornell she became a member of the Alpha Beta Chapter of Delta Delta Delta. She was also class president, hockey team manager, class treasurer, secretary of the Women’s Athletic Association and a member of the Y.W.C.A. cabinet. Among the honors she accrued was membership in Phi Kappa Phi, Mortar Board and Raven and Serpent.
The Tri Delta chapter at Cornell University. Dorothy Allison is second from left in the top row.
Cornell University, Women’s Athletic Association. Dorothy Allison is fourth on left in the bottom row.
After graduating in 1924, she became the first female civil engineers employed by the Philadelphia Transit Department. She had a part in the creaton of the high speed rail line that connects Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Camden County, New Jersey.
Tiimes Tribune (Scranton, PA) November 1, 1924
Philadelphia Inquirer, September 17, 1924
Her husband, also a civil engineer, was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. In the 1940s, she stopped working while her son was young.
Carlin returned to engineering in 1955 when she began working with renown architect Eero Saarinen. Her husband also worked for Saarinen’s firm. She worked on many of his projects. These included Dulles International Airport, JFK Airport’s TWA terminal in New York City, St. Louis’ Gateway Arch and the American Embassy in London.
Carlin died on April 19, 1985.
