Elizabeth Prior appointed first dean of what is now Yakima Valley College

Elizabeth Prior was appointed the first dean when the Yakima junior college opened in 1928, and the school's first campus building was later named Elizabeth Prior Hall.

Elizabeth Prior was appointed the first dean when the junior college that became Yakima Valley College opened in 1928. She later served as the college's president and spent decades expanding academic and athletic programs. Prior raised funds, recruited faculty and promoted the school across Yakima County during the Great Depression and World War II. She retired in 1946 and the college later named its first campus building Elizabeth Prior Hall. Key details: - Born Oct. 13, 1879, in Philadelphia; her family lived in Missouri before moving to the Pacific Northwest. - Graduated from Washington Normal School (now Central Washington University) in 1909 and later earned a master’s degree from Columbia University; she taught English, public speaking and debate at North Yakima High School and served as assistant principal and girls dean. - Appointed dean in June 1928; the junior college opened Sept. 17, 1928 with 105 students and eight faculty, and its first graduating class in 1930 had 22 students. - Led community outreach and fundraising to support the college, added wartime classes such as radio and meteorology, and started athletics and physical education programs for men and women. - Retired in 1946; the college secured campus land donated in 1937, the first building on that campus was named Elizabeth Prior Hall with cornerstone and dedication events in 1949, and she died March 10, 1950. - Honored posthumously with inductions into the Northwest Athletic Conference Hall of Fame (2003) and YVC Hall of Fame (2019), and a plaque on Prior Hall records her contributions. Summary: Elizabeth Prior’s leadership helped establish the college’s early programs, campus and community ties, and her name and a commemorative plaque remain on the campus building. Undetermined at this time.