Monday marked the 100th birthday of a woman who overcame a sexist and intolerant society – just by graduating from Iowa State.

Margaret Sloss was the first woman to be admitted to and graduate from the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The birthday party was held at the Sloss House, just south of Curtiss Hall. Cake and refreshments were served to passing students and faculty.

Penny Rice, women’s center coordinator, said Sloss was never officially admitted to the university. She said Sloss did not even appear in the class composite.

Nevertheless, Sloss earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology in 1923 and a master’s degree in veterinary anatomy in 1932.

Her passion for knowledge and success was still not fulfilled. Sloss applied to the College of Veterinary Medicine to earn a doctorate.

“[The university] was very slow in admitting women,” Rice said.

In 1938, Sloss became the first woman to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State.

Sloss was born in 1901 in Cedar Rapids. In her early childhood, Sloss moved to Ames, where her father took a job as superintendent of the grounds crew at the university. The family lived in what is now called the Sloss House.

Marcia Purdy, senior in women’s studies, said Sloss loved to play with the other children on campus.

“She was a real tomboy,” said Purdy, secretary at the women’s center. “Margaret knew the university inside and out.”

Rice said Sloss was invited to go to Washington, D.C. to be Eleanor Roosevelt’s consultant. The dean of the university would not allow her to go.

Throughout her life, her persistence and will to overcome obstacles paved the way for her success. Finally in 1965 she became a professor at Iowa State.

Today, the Sloss House serves as the women’s center for ISU students.

“Her personality and her intellect was something that was new for our campus,” Rice said. “[Sloss] came at a time when other women weren’t taking those risks.”