"Go forward, attempt great things, accomplish great things." The Legacy of Mary Lyon
The success of Mount Holyoke opened the doors of higher education for women. Mary Lyon proved that women were as intellectually capable as men, and that an institution for women offering a college curriculum could survive financially. Her impact on education was felt across the United States and in distant corners of the world. Graduates of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary carried Mary Lyon's ideals and teaching methods into schools which they founded or taught at, in places like Albert Lea, Minnesota and Marion, Alabama; Bitlis, Turkey and Honolulu, Hawaii; Umzumbe, South Africa and the territory of the Cherokee Nation; Kobe, Japan and Clinton, New York. One founded the first public school in Oklahoma; classes were held in a tent. Through the work of Mount Holyoke's alumnae teachers, the quality of elementary and high school education improved nationwide; the presence of well-educated female teachers in the classroom offered role models for bright and aspiring girls and young women. Mount Holyoke provided the inspiration, the model, and often the leadership, for the many women's colleges that followed. A few examples: Wellesley College was founded by a Mount Holyoke trustee, Henry Durant, and its first president was an 1853 Mount Holyoke alumna, Ada Howard. Another trustee, John Greene, was instrumental in founding Smith College. Susan Tolman Mills, class of 1845, and her husband founded Mills College in California. When they gathered in the Seminary building in 1837, neither Mary Lyon nor her students nor teachers could have envisioned that 160 years later Mount Holyoke would enroll nearly 2,000 women from 49 states and 74 countries, boast an 800-acre campus containing 40 buildings, and offer nearly 1,000 courses and 38 different majors. The idea that more women than men are now enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities would have seemed improbable. But Mary Lyon surely would not be surprised that for 160 years, Mount Holyoke graduates have risen to every challenge, and become leaders in their professions and communities. Today, Mount Holyoke College remains in the forefront of higher education for women.	Mary Lyon doll. Lyon was so famous that dolls and books were created in her honor. Following Mary Lyon's example of making a difference in the world, four Mount Holyoke alumnae, along with Lyon, have been honored on US postal stamps. Click here for a picture of all five stamps.
	Mount Holyoke College gateway. With the opening of Mount Holyoke's doors in 1837, a new era in women's education began. Mary Lyon urged early graduates to "Go where no one else will go. Do what no one else will do." 160 years later, graduates heed her words still.

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